

^ J . S r\ 

^ A' ^ //^ 'f‘ 



#'* % I""' 



^ ^ ■’ y "NJvJ- <, 

'^' » « I ' “ <.0 , , ^ * ■) N 0 ^ ,<{>'' 

.""IL:." v> 

A <5- ^ V, ^(53'>)''‘ - At> 

</^ '\^ ^ O c,^ c; 

^■'% z ' ^ 


A' 




^ V o 

^ a\ 

^ J 9 - 



p.0 y ''K>i~> <, o 

> >, » • , * a ^ 0 ^ 

‘ ” X .A " 

'V « ° 

' z 


- A --• %rii\'^'^^ ' flS ° 

^ '., * » I ' ' ^0 o * 3 ^ 0 ’ ,# %.»,,>'• 

* N/> aV* A\^^'/>L '■ cl'^ 

: -Aa. l^W." A'"-- 

S ^ A^ ... ^ 0 <> ,v ,0^ „ V . . s '« .A 









z 


- 

* ''cP vA' 


I ^J | ^ r/ 





0 M 


x'^' a 

,Av»' . 0 ' c 


V 

.V 


,a' 

xP ,c V 



N C 




* 





''a 

.A . . » 


tt 



o 

^ ® O^ ^ ^ XX. 

/\/ X^^‘'V 

S> »-'•», > v'!^-'", CV 




> <* 

'V y ^ 

^ o ^ X ^ 0 < . 4 * s '* \ 

-^'‘* ' ,-o'^ ,-is'^ V 

V^ - 


.' A 


0^ f 


A . 



^ ^O (V ° 


<C) X ^7 '' /\ 

0 ^ ^ jO ■'Co * * <* 

0 ° 'f‘ A A 

^ ., C“^s y \Vt^ ✓ -jj?r A \ ^ 

; v^ : 

* A °^. " 




* Cfv \ rxO CV ^ ^ 

mUk ' % - <Pip. ’- ^ 


ir <^vj 

-.^° A -nt- 

'^. * ^ r) o'* "''ct 

'-V v> 

<l 

IN /I 

aL 1 "v 


. °o oO^y" 


, 0 °^. 



^Ci- .^ • - 

^ 0 a, \'^ \0 \'^ ^ 0 

',% 'o»A‘i:‘%V A,.''-'-^'’A 

V- ■■’'°o^ »' 

" ■> • . 

^ O O " V 

«' A- O u 

aO^ 


O cC 
\T 






\/ ^ ^ 0 , X 


'S* 


t 

i 

\ 

j 


n 


I 


i 




/ 


\ 


Q 








F 



t!: 





1 



"»■ t 


<■1 

A 




1 




( 

r 


s. 

< 

I 



4 




&• 



-I- 


i 


> t4 



f 


.»*■' 


(!■> 

<• 


» 




« 








.>* 


t . \ . 


. 


‘ \ 

t 


I 





» 


I 



« 


"V » - 

' ?. 


• • 


4 


rf- 


I 


s 




I 1 


*■ 4 


r 


« 





I 


V * 











THE CAPTAIN OF THE “S.I.G.’S” 







“ Carter and the three men on bases followed suit, sprinting from bag 
to bag like the wind.” Frontispiece. See Pa{/e 149. 


tgfte ^tatcn Jlslanb <§tantg ^cricg 


THE CAPTAIN OF THE 
“S. I. G.’S” 


BY 

ETTA ANTHONY BAKER 

Author of “The Girls of Fairmount,” “The Youngsters of 
Centerville,” “ Frolics at Fairmount,” etc. 


With Illustrations by 
H. Burgess 


BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 
1911 




Copyright^ 191U 

By Little, Brown, and Company. 

All rights reserved 

Published, May, 1911 


" 1 ’ ■ • ■ 

V* * • ^ 

, \* ‘ ' 

M 


IPrtntera 

8. J. Pabkhill ft Co., Boston, U. S. a. 


^CI.A28r.94.5 


TO WILL 

THE JOLLIEST " BIG BOY ” I KNOW 


Then here’s to our boyhood, its gold and its gray I 
The stars of its winter, the dews of its May ! 

And when we have done with our life-lasting toys. 
Dear Father, take care of thy children, The Boys I ” 


CONTENTS 


Chapter Page 

I A Break in the “S. I. G.’s’’ . . • . 1 

II The Break Repaired 14 

III The New Guns . 35 

IV A Raid and its Results 51 

V A Blot Removed 72 

VI The Club’s New Headquarters ... 80 

VII The «S. I. G.’s” Show 91 

VIII When is a Tent not a Tent? . . . 102 

IX A Narrow Escape 114 

X A Five-Doll AR Bill 132 

XI « Stars” vs. ‘‘ S. I. G.’s” 143 

XII A Sale 160 

XIII Mrs. Harper’s Gift 180 

XIV A Tub Race and its Consequences . . 197 

XV The Awarding of the Prizes .... 213 

XVI The Water Carnival 226 


CONTENTS 


X 

Chapter Page 

XVII Latchsteings Out 245 

XVIII Outside the Hook 256 

XIX The Prize Story 277 

XX Troubles 289 

XXI Christmas 301 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


‘‘ Carter and the three men on bases followed suit, 

sprinting from bag to bag like the wind^’ . Frontispiece 

“ The lion had to lead the march alone, with Ring 

Master Carroll holding his chain . . . Page 93 

“ When the time for unmasking arrived there were 

some genuine surprises ” ‘‘214 


“ At the second shock the two forward masts went 
by the board 


“ 266 


\ 





( 


I 


y 




I 


\ 


* 


, I ' 


1 r • 

I 


^ • 





I 


< I 


I 


t 


s 



t 


I 


t 


I 




V 



I 

I 


* 



t 


» 


I 4 

t I 


0 



I 



I 




« t 

1 


* 


* 


i 

I 


' ' < I 

’;■, 







% 


0 


t 


/ 


% 


I » 







n; 


\ 


0 


r 




*• 



« 


/■ 

I 

1 * ' 


4 


/ , « 

« 

I 

' «* 


‘ ' ' t 





4 




/ 



THE CHARACTERS 


Carter Carroll . . . 

Mr. and Mrs. Carroll 

Minnie 

Dixie Doodle . . . . 

Sidney Armstrong . . 

Johnny Porter . . . 

Arthur Boynton . . 

Ida Grant 

IvA Grant 

Mrs. Harper . . . . 

Captain Truitt . . . 


, . Captain of the I. G/s*’ 

. . . The Rest of the Family. 


Members of the S. I. G/s** 


The Twins. 

The Friend of the S. I. G.’s*’ 
. . . ofthe^^U.B. B. A.’’ 



THE CAPTAIN OF THE “S. 1. G.’S” 


CHAPTER I 

A Break in the I. G:S'^ 

The Carrolls lived on Staten Island, the bit of land with 
wooded hills and wide stretches of beach, that pops up 
unexpectedly between the upper and lower bays of New 
York^s great harbor. At first glance it seems as though 
it had tried to separate the two bays entirely; but if 
so, it evidently changed its mind and allowed the Narrows 
to connect them. It surveys its watery surroundings 
as though it meant to say: ^^Take care! IVe got my 
eye on you!’' Staten Islanders know the ^^ups and 
downs” of life. Rome with her seven hills is quite 
thrown in the shade by the Island’s imcounted heights, 
but the view that greets one from their tops amply re- 
pays the climb. 

The Carroll house was a large, old-fashioned, homey 
sort of a place, with a good-sized garden at the side and 
back. It had wide piazzas overlooking the upper bay, 
giving a fine view of the Statue of Liberty, the Immigrant 
Station on Ellis Island, the Robbins’ Reef lighthouse, 
and the military post on Governor’s Island, and also 
showing the towers and skyscrapers of lower New York 


2 


THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


itself, with the bridges and shipping of two of the world^s 
busiest water thoroughfares, the North and the East 
rivers, which join forces at the Battery. 

The crop of boys on that particular block was a good 
one. Minnie, the Carrolls’ maid, vowed that there were 
at least a thousand, and perhaps they seemed that many 
to her when they tramped through her clean kitchen, or 
made the Saturday’s baking of fresh doughnuts or 
cookies disappear as if by magic. But boys of four- 
teen or fifteen have powers in the eating line that are 
little short of magical, after all. In reality there were 
only nine boys on the block, including Carter Carroll 
himself — good boys, all of them, especially when they 
were asleep, as Mr. Carroll used to say. Minnie liked 
them, too, in spite of her grumbling, because she knew 
that she was a prime favorite with them all. 

Carter’s real name was Lindsay Carteret Carroll, but 
he always insisted so strenuously upon the use of his 
middle name, that his friends had grown into the habit 
of calling him Carter. He was a tall, slender, good- 
looking lad, very popular with the boys in spite of his 
inclination to be somewhat dictatorial. He had no really 
bad habits; nevertheless he had not as yet reached the 
point where his friends feared an early death for him on 
account of excessive goodness. He was generous, and 
loyal to his chums; in fact, a lovable, manly boy. 

On the first Saturday in June, a bright, sunny day, 
with more than a hint of summer in the air, the boys 
were gathered, as usual, on the Carroll piazza, all talk- 
ing at once in tones so loud that the passer-by might 


A BREAK IN THE I. 


3 


have been excused for thinking that most of their num- 
ber were deaf. Some one had proposed that they form 
themselves into a club, and much heated discussion 
ensued as to the kind of club that would give the most 
fun during the coming vacation. 

Mrs. Harper, who lived across the street, heard the 
whole argument from start to finish. She was an invalid, . 
but fortunately not a nervous one. Carter was her 
especial favorite, but she was fond of all the boys and 
took a keen interest in everything that concerned them. 
They were so used to seeing her reading or sewing in her 
reclining chair in the wide bay window of the Harper 
house, that they almost forgot she was there. Some- 
times she was unable to sit up at all. This happened to 
be one of her bad days, but she had the happy faculty 
of getting enjoyment out of little things, so she listened 
to the controversy with eager interest. 

“Let^s make it the ‘Boy Scouts,’^’ Sidney Armstrong 
urged earnestly. 

“Oh, no! We couldn’t start the ‘Scouts,’” Carter 
explained. “I read all about them the other day. It’s 
a big organization, and we want this to be just ourselves. 
Besides, the ‘Scouts’ are too much like the ‘U. B. B. A.’, 
and we’re all in that now.” He referred to the “United 
Boys’ Brigade of America,” which had several com- 
panies on the Island. 

“That’s so,” Sid agreed cheerfully. “How about a 
‘Tennis Club,’ then?” 

But again there were objections, as some of the boys 
never played tennis. A “Beach Club” was also turned 


4 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


down, because it would last only during the summer 
while the beaches were open. 

‘^We might be an ^Indian Club,’^’ Johnny Porter sug- 
gested tentatively, then looked perfectly blank at the 
shout of laughter which followed. 

^‘Excuse me!^’ Sid remarked jokingly. ''You may 
be a blockhead if you want to, Johnny, but count me 
out.’' 

Even then the joke failed to dawn upon Johnny. He 
was the youngest of the nine, and so innocent at times 
that the rest found ample opportunity for teasing him; 
but to their credit they seldom availed themselves of it, 
because he was a manly boy and they were all fond of 
him. 

"Why not make it a 'Baseball Team,”’ Carter said 
finally, after several propositions had been offered and 
rejected. "We’re just the right number, and that 
need n’t keep us from doing anything else we want to do. 
What do you say?” 

The idea seemed to meet with general approval, for 
more reasons than one. 

"That’ll be dandy!” 

"Just the thing!” 

"We all play, too!” 

"Yes, I know we do,” Carter added; "and if we’re 
a regular club we can challenge the 'Stars.’” 

"And do them up, too!” Sid amended confidently. 
This consideration alone was enough to make the boys 
decide in favor of the proposed team. 

The "Stars” was the name of a baseball team from 


A BREAK IN THE 1. G/S” 


5 


another part of the suburb. They were older boys, 
most of them sixteen or over, and some of them had 
been decidedly disagreeable. They bragged unceasingly 
of their prowess on the diamond, yet persistently re- 
fused to prove it as far as the nine were concerned, on 
the plea that they never played against any but organized 
teams. This was thorn number one. But besides this, 
they had made themselves troublesome in many ways, 
not only by jibes and taimts at the “Kid Glove Con- 
tingent,^' as they had nicknamed the boys, but by 
actually appropriating balls, gloves, and bats. A game 
on the field was out of the question unless the players 
left their possessions in charge of some of the smaller 
boys. Of course the missing articles turned up mysteri- 
ously sooner or later, usually later, but that did not 
lessen the annoyance caused by their disappearance. 

“What about a name for the team?" Johnny asked 
anxiously. 

The boys thought hard for a moment. 

“We might call ourselves the ‘Invincibles,'" Carter 
proposed, adding modestly: “We're all cracker-jack 
players." 

“I think that would be a better name," Arthur Boyn- 
ton burst out eagerly. 

“That? What?" Carter questioned. 

“Why, ^Cracker- Jacks!' It's newer, you know. And 
it's good, too," he added, smacking his lips as he re- 
called the tempting packages with their crisp, yellow 
contents. “Why, when I come out of the water, even 
before I go to my bath-house, I always — " 


6 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


'^Yes, we know you do” Carter interrupted hastily. 
Arthur was inclined to be long-winded and had to be 
headed off occasionally. He was an only child, and at 
home his slightest utterance was treated with deep 
respect, conspicuous chiefly by its absence when the 
boys were his listeners. ^‘But we can^t talk cracker- 
jack now,’’ Carter went on decisively; ‘Ve’ve got to 
choose a name for the team.” 

like the ‘Giants,’ myself,” one of the other boys said 
hesitatingly. “They’re dandies, even if they’re not in 
the lead just yet.” 

“That’s first rate!” “I like that name, too!” and 
“Just the thing!” were some of the enthusiastic remarks 
which greeted the suggestion. 

“And we ought to stand by the home team,” Carter 
added, as an afterthought. 

After a few minutes’ discussion, the name was decided 
upon, and the matter practically settled when, as usual, 
Arthur Boynton upset the whole arrangement. He was 
a slow thinker, but he always had something to say on 
every question, even if he left the post after the rest had 
reached the line. His suggestions, or amendments, 
rather, were usually sensible, but they were not appreci- 
ated by the boys because of their tardiness. Besides, 
Arthur was always so aggravatingly sure of himself: 
it put the others on the defensive. 

“We can’t call our team the ‘Giants,’” he began 
positively. 

“There you go. Art!” Carter said impatiently. 
“You’re always sure to wait until a thing’s settled 


A BREAK IN THE L G/S’’ 


7 


before you begin to kick. What^s the matter with the 
^Giants/ I’d like to know?” 

'^Nothing’s the matter with them,” was the sulky 
rejoinder; ^‘only people might think we’re the New 
York team, that’s all.” 

^^So likely!” Sid muttered sarcastically. 

^^And they’ve probably got a patent, or a copyright, 
or whatever you call it, on the name,” Arthur went 
on obstinately; ‘^so we can’t use it even if we want 
to.” 

^‘We can, too,” Carter retorted sharply. We ’ll 
change it to ^Staten Island Giants’ and call ourselves 
the ^S. I. G.’s,’ so there!” 

So it was decided, and the “S. I. G.’s,” with Carter 
Carroll as captain, began its existence that morning by 
adjourning to the school field, and practicing strenu- 
ously for the rest of the day. The thought of a game 
with the ^ ^Stars’’ was incentive enough, if incentive 
were needed, to make them buckle down to hard work. 
They determined not to challenge their rivals until they 
felt themselves strong enough to meet them with at least 
a fair chance of success. 

They also decided, very sensibly, that although they 
were organized as a baseball team, they would not permit 
that fact to bar them from other sports. The club was 
to be simply a bond to cement the friendship which 
already existed between the members, and a very lasting 
bond it proved to be. 

Just two days after the formation of the I. G.’s,” 
something occurred unexpectedly which threatened at 


8 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


first to upset the team^s plans completely. Sid Arm- 
strong, Carter’s special friend, and the team’s best 
pitcher, learned that he was to spend the summer and 
the early autumn with cousins in New York, while his 
mother and father were abroad. They were to sail that 
very week. 

The firm for which Sid’s father worked had decided to 
establish a branch office in London, and Mr. Armstrong 
was commissioned to superintend the opening of the new 
office and to put its affairs into good running order. As 
Mrs. Armstrong’s health had not been robust for some 
time, he was anxious to take her with him, but neither 
of them liked the idea of leaving their boy with stran- 
gers for so long a time, and they could not take him 
abroad on account of the expense. Then, too, they dis- 
liked breaking into his school routine in the autumn, so 
Mrs. Armstrong gave up all hope of the trip until the Van- 
dynes, cousins of Mr. Armstrong, learned of his dilemma, 
and offered to take charge of Sid. They were wealthy 
New Yorkers, who owned an imposing residence on Fifth 
Avenue and an even more imposing cottage” at New- 
port. In their city house alone they probably employed 
more servants than could be counted on the nine’s 
whole block, but neither of them knew how to enjoy their 
millions. 

^^You see, they have no children, for one thing,” Mrs. 
Armstrong explained to Mrs. Carroll, when she called to 
ask help in making her decision; “and what’s a home 
without a child in it? Then they belong to the ‘fusser’ 
class,” she added laughingly; “regular old maids, both 


A BREAK IN THE L 


9 


of them! They take everything so hard. I donT see 
how they will ever survive Sid^s careless ways, that is 
if I decide to send him to them. It would be a severe 
shock to their nervous systems, I’m afraid.” 

‘^A shock that would do them good, probably,” Mrs. 
Carroll replied with a smile. Don’t worry over it. 
Sid ’s a manly boy and can take care of himself. Perhaps 
he’ll have a beneficial effect on the 'fussers,’ who knows? 
Don’t say ^if ’ you decide to send him. Remember, dear, 
the best thing you can do for your boy is to take care of 
his mother.” 

Mrs. Armstrong stared so hard that Mrs. Carroll 
burst out laughing, but quickly grew grave again. 

^'I guess you overlooked that view of the case, did n’t 
you?” she asked seriously. think health for his 
mother is a boy’s best present, even if he himself appar- 
ently has to be set aside while she is gaining it. And 
then, too, a change is often good for these boys of ours. 
Probably Sid needs it as much as you do. An only child 
is very apt to think the world moves just for his con- 
venience. I can see it plainly at times, in Carter; and 
it’s not surprising when you come to think of it — no 
brothers or sisters with whom to share things. Now do 
be sensible! Write to the Vandynes and accept their 
offer, and get ready for your trip with a free mind. The 
invitation certainly shows a kindly spirit on their part. 
And put all that nonsense about neglecting your boy 
and deserting him out of your head before you start, 
or the trip will do you no good at all. There! my lec- 
ture’s over! The audience is dismissed!” 


10 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


And the audience’^ departed, much comforted by her 
friend^s sensible view of the case. 

During the next few days Sid made life miserable for 
the rest of the boys by his constant bragging about the 
relatives with whom he was to stay. They did not 
understand that he was trying to get used to the idea 
of the separation from his parents, and was doing it as 
much to convince himself of his good fortune as to im- 
press them. 

‘^You ought to see their house,’^ he said enthusiasti- 
cally. ^^It’s a regular castle almost, and they keep a 
butler and footmen, and ever so many other servants. 
They have carriages and automobiles and riding horses, 
too; and at Newport they ^11 have their yacht. I’ll see 
the big tennis tournaments at the Casino, too.” 

^^So we’ve heard,” Carter remarked drily, when Sid 
launched into a description of the Vandyne glories for 
about the twentieth time. 

^‘If I can man — that is, if I can find time,” Sid 
corrected himself hurriedly, “I intend to ask you over 
while I ’m there. They’re going to give me riding lessons 
in Central Park every day, they told mother, so I’ll be 
kept pretty busy. And at Newport we’ll be on the 
yacht a good deal. But I’ll try to have you over some 
time while I’m there.” 

Think you’ll be lonesome without your mother?” 
Carter asked bluntly, ignoring the very uncertain 
invitation. 

^^Oh, no. I’ll be too busy,” Sid answered with lofty 
indifference, but he flushed guiltily as he spoke. ‘‘Of 


A BREAK JN THE I. 11 

course I’ll miss her some,” he added, honestly, a vision 
of her gentle, loving face rising before him. Guess 
every boy ’d miss his mother, no matter where he stayed.” 

The unconscious sigh which ended the words told more 
to Carter than Sid realized. He remembered what close 
companions the two were, sharing books and games 
together, and he thought, with a pang of dismay, how he 
would feel if his mother and father were leaving him for 
so long. Neither he nor Sid had ever been away at 
school: they were still ^^home” boys. From that time 
he ceased to resent Sid’s bragging, because he felt, dimly, 
that it was a prop to keep up the boy’s own spirits. 

On the day the Armstrongs sailed. Carter and his 
mother accompanied them to the pier. While the ladies 
were having a farewell chat together, the boys scoured 
the great liner from stem to stem. They asked for 
information several times, but every one seemed too 
busy to reply. Finally they cornered one of the officers 
and poured forth a perfect flood of questions. The 
officer looked at them quizzically, but answered the 
questions as fast as he could, until he was able to take 
advantage of a moment’s pause. 

^‘Any more questions, boys?” he asked seriously. 
‘‘Best to get them all out of your systems before we 
start. You see I feel that I ought to take a little time to 
help run the boat, and I’d like to eat and sleep after- 
wards, if possible. Fire away!” 

“We will,” Carter assured him with a laugh, “because 
we’ll be on the dock when you start.” 

“Not going? Really? Whew!” The officer whistled 


12 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


in pretended relief. ‘^And IVe wasted all that breath 
because I ^11 probably have those same questions to answer 
all over again; we always carry walking question marks 
on each trip. I thought I saw my finish with you two 
on board, but there ^s hope for me now.’’ 

Just then the first warning sounded over the deck: 
‘^All ashore that’s goin’ ashore! All ashore that’s goin’ 
ashore!” and the boys rushed to the Armstrongs’ state- 
room. Carter bade them a hasty good-bye, and thought- 
fully hurried out on deck, leaving Sid the last few minutes 
alone with his parents. When the final gong sounded, 
the two boys were the last to race down the gang-plank. 
As they joined Mrs. Carroll, Sid’s eyes were averted 
and he kept strangely silent while the great liner was 
being towed out into the river. From the end of the pier 
they watched her steaming on her stately way past the 
huge docks of the various transatlantic and coast lines, 
past the Battery, and the Statue of Liberty, straight 
towards the outer bay and Sandy Hook. When they 
could no longer distinguish her from the rest of the craft 
in the bay, they turned away and started to walk up the 
long pier. Just then a leather-clad chauffeur touched 
Sid on the arm. 

Master Armstrong?” he asked inquiringly. He 
had seen him only once before. 

^^Yep!” Sid answered shortly. 

He could not have said more if he had tried. Ever 
since he left the ship, his mother’s loving good-bye and 
her last few words of counsel and advice had been ring- 
ing in his ears. A strange liunp in his throat seemed 


A BREAK IN THE ''S. 1. 


13 


bent on choking him, but he conquered it by determined 
efTort. Nevertheless, he did not resent Mrs. CarrolFs 
motherly kiss, although boys of his age are not very 
keen on kissing, especially in public. He gripped Carter^s 
hand hard as he turned away with a laconic ^^So long!” 
and entered the high-powered motor that was awaiting 
him, while the Carrolls hurried to South Ferry. 


CHAPTER II 


The Break Repaired 

Carter missed his friend during the next few weeks 
more than he could have believed possible. The two 
had been close companions for years. If it was some- 
times, as they themselves expressed it, a case of ^^off 
again, on again, away again, Finnegan!’^ it was always 
^^on again after a short interval. As for the I. G.’s,’' 
both individually and collectively, they felt Sid's loss 
keenly. All thought of challenging the ^'Stars'' was 
put on the shelf until he could be with them again. 
There were other blocks on Staten Island and there 
were other boys on those blocks, but the eight felt that 
they could not fill Sid's place, and they would not if 
they could: they liked him too well. To a man they 
endorsed Johnny's opinion: Sid's all right, all right, 
and don't you forget it!" 

During the three weeks following his mother's de- 
parture, Sid wrote to Mrs. Carroll twice in answer to 
kind, chatty letters from her. He told of riding lessons 
in the park, sight-seeing outings around the city, and 
motor trips to various places; but the only mention 
he made of his cousins was in answer to a direct question 
of Mrs. Carroll's. 

‘^No, I don't know any fellows around here, yet. 
Guess there are n't any. Anyway, I could n't ask them 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


15 


in here, because our people don^t care much for boys. 
Cousin Mary and Cousin John are all right, only they ^re 
awfully cranky and particular in their ways, not a bit 
like — then the next few words were scratched out 
and these added: ^^but they try to be kind. We’re 
going to Newport soon. Guess I ’ll like it there.” 

On the day school closed for the summer vacation, 
Mrs. Carroll was sitting in the library reading the morn- 
ing paper, when there was a rush and a bang that fairly 
shook the house. 

’m thankful we don’t live in a flat for the sake of 
the other flatters!” she thought, as she answered the 
loud, clear whistle with one equally loud and clear. 
This was the Carroll way of signalling. 

An instant later Carter burst into the room like a 
young whirlwind, his arms so full that he might have 
been taken for a summer Santa Claus. 

“ No more Latin, no more French, 

No more sitting on a hard school bench! 

he chanted gayly, as he let his strap of books fall to the 
floor and began to put down the articles he was carrying, 
with the greatest care. 

‘^What are all these things?” his mother asked, sur- 
veying his burden in surprise. 

^^My work,” he answered proudly; ^Hhings I made 
in shop this year.” 

Mrs. Carroll examined them with pleased interest. 
There were four pieces, a mission-finished tabouret, a 
whisk-broom holder, a plant stand, and a small table 


16 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


rack for books. All of them were carefully made and 
well finished, as she saw at a glance. 

^^You ^re to have your choice, mother,’’ he assured 
her, adding in explanation: You know I meant to give 
them all to you, but the ‘ S. I. G.’s ’ will need money for 
all sorts of things, so we ’re going to have a sale and let 
people buy our work.” 

'^Oh! I see!” Mrs. Carroll exclaimed thoughtfully. 
‘Hn that case perhaps you ’d better keep them all for 
the sale.” 

'^No, no, mother!” the boy insisted anxiously. ^^All 
the time I was working on them I was thinking how 
pleased you ’d be. We only have an hour and a half a 
week, in the shop, but don’t you remember, I went to 
school for two hours every day during the Easter vaca- 
tion? It was just to work on these things. That ’s how 
I managed to finish so many. Some of the boys only 
have two or three small pieces, not anywhere ’s near as 
nice as the tabouret. Can’t you use that for your tea- 
table, — if you choose it, I mean?” 

^^Of course I ’ll choose it,” his mother answered 
promptly. '^It’s beautiful. Carter, and I’m proud of 
my boy. We ’ll compromise the matter; we ’ll put 
all the articles in the sale, only mark my table sold, and 
I ’ll pay you whatever it ought to bring. I ’ll know 
you made it for me, so it will mean just as much to me,” 
she added tenderly. As she spoke, she arranged the 
things on the big couch, ready for Mr. Carroll’s inspec- 
tion later. 

wonder why June always drags along so,” Carter 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


17 


complained, as he stooped to gather up his books which 
had slipped from their strap when he tossed them down. 
“It has only thirty days, but it always seems the longest 
month of all. July and August go fast enough! Shall 
I tell Minnie to put lunch on? I ^m almost starved.^' 

“Poor boy!^' His mother spoke gravely, but her 
eyes were dancing with mischief. “Can’t you wait 
just — ” 

“If you knew how hungry I am,” he interrupted 
unceremoniously, “you would n’t ask me to wait a 
minute, even.” 

“Oh! all right! Tell Minnie to put it on right away. 
I can give you the present afterwards.” 

“Present? What present?” 

“Never mind until after lunch. I know how hard it 
is to wait when any one is as hungry as you are.” 

“Oh, please!” he urged impatiently. “I — I can 
wait a little while longer. What is it, mother?” 

“Guess!” she said, laughing at his change of base. 
“It ’s something you ’ve wanted for a long time. I ’ll 
give you three chances.” 

Carter looked about the library but discovered nothing 
unusual. 

“It ’s — it ’s a — a new bicycle. I hope it ’s got a 
coaster-brake! If it has n’t it ’s no good in a place like 
Staten Island.” 

“No-o-o!” drawled his mother tantalizingly. 

“A cartridge pistol for the Fourth?” 

“No, sir! I value my son too highly to get him that. 
Besides, this year no one will be allowed pistols, or fire- 


18 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


crackers, either. It’s to be a ^sane’ Fourth. Two 
chances gone!” 

^^But I can’t think of anything else,” Carter objected, 
‘^unless it ’s a new racquet, or a football, or a canoe 
for the lakes, or — ” 

^^Hold on, boy! That’s more than three guesses, 
and you ’re not even warm.” 

‘^It isn’t a garden set, is it?” he asked suspiciously. 
He thought it bad enough to have to keep the front 
lawn in order during vacation, without having the 
necessary implements classed as a present.” 

Mrs. Carroll shook her head. 

'^Tell me something about it, won’t you?” Hunger 
was forgotten in his interest in this unknown gift. ‘‘A 
fellow can’t guess it without something to go on. Will 
I like it?” 

‘^I ’m sure you will,” was the emphatic reply. ^'Let 
me see; it ’s smooth, and soft, and brown, and about 
two feet long altogether, I think. But you can’t handle 
it just yet, because it ’s being mended.” 

Being mended? Humph! Some bargain! Why 
did n’t you get a good one while you were about it?” 

'^Because I liked this one,” his mother answered 
quietly. 

Where is it?” 

^‘In the kitchen. Minnie has taken quite a fancy 
to it, so if you don’t care for it, she ’ll be glad to have 
it.” 

‘^Minnie? Now I know what it is! It ’s — ” 

He dashed out to the kitchen without waiting to 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


19 


finish his sentence. Mrs. Carroll found him kneeling 
on the floor smoothing and petting a small brown dog 
which lay on a denim-covered piazza pillow under the 
kitchen table. 

‘^Just look, mother he said pityingly, as he saw 
the little animal shrink away from him. “He seems to 
be afraid of me, the poor thing! Why, I would n’t hurt 
you, old fellow,” he added to the dog; “not for a thou- 
sand dollars!” 

“It ’s no wonder he ’s afraid,” Mrs. Carroll answered, 
her face flushing with anger. “When I found him, he 
was being chased by a crowd of the roughest boys you 
ever saw; boys old enough to know better, too! He 
ran up to me and tried to hide in my skirts, and when 
I picked him up, his poor little heart was pounding 
dreadfully hard and he was trembling all over. 

“I talked to the boys quietly for a few moments; I 
knew that scolding would do no good. I really think 
they were ashamed of themselves before I finished. 
One of them told me that the dog’s owners had moved 
to a flat in the city, and had left him homeless. I don’t 
see how people can be so cruel! The boy offered to 
carry him for me, but the dog clung to me in such a piti- 
ful way, that I refused his offer.” 

“Where ’s he being mended?” Carter asked anxiously, 
looking his present over with critical eyes, but failing to 
discover any blemish. 

“One of his paws was hurt and he limped badly. 
That ’s why I had to carry him home. I found it had 
a splinter in it, so I put on a bread and milk poultice to 


20 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


draw it out. Minnie, why did you take the poultice 
off?^^ 

did n't, ma'am!" Minnie defended herself promptly. 

He ate it. That 's the second one he 's eaten." 

‘‘I bathed him the first thing," Mrs. Carroll went on. 
'^He whined a bit — he does n't seem to be fond of the 
water — but I know he feels better now, don't you, 
old boy?" 

The dog looked up at her with his beautiful brown 
eyes, and putting out his tongue tried to lick her hand, 
while his tail beat a grateful tattoo upon the pillow. He 
was not so sure of Carter; his recollections of the genus 
boy were not soothing; but he seemed to realize that 
in Mrs. Carroll, at least, he had found a friend. 

From that day the newcomer became a regular mem- 
ber of the family. He proved to be an affectionate 
little animal, even though full of mischief and decidedly 
spunky with other dogs. The important matter of the 
christening caused much argument. The “S. I. G.'s" 
had not yet seen him, as Mrs. Carroll wished him to be 
kept quiet until his paw healed, but they sent in volun- 
tary contributions in the choice of a name, ranging all 
the way from the much worn Jack, Rover, and Fido, to 
imposing cognomens like Julius Csesar, Theodore Roose- 
velt, and Romeo, while Peanuts and Popcorn, Imp and 
Angel were suggested for the lighter variety. 

After a day of indecision, Carter finally chose “Yankee 
Doodle," but changed it later in honor of his great-grand- 
mother Carroll, a stanch Virginian, to “Dixie Doodle." 
The matter was settled by the purchase of a leather 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


21 


collar with a silver name-plate, and Dixie Doodle he 
became officially, although Mr. Carroll usually called 
him ^^Dickums,^’ Mrs. Carroll “Dickey Bird,^' and 
Carter, “Dix’^ or “Doodles,’^ while the grocer, and 
butcher, at whom he rushed out and barked, referred 
to him slightingly as “that yellow mutt!’' 

When the boys saw him, they promptly adopted him 
as club mascot, which was fortunate for all concerned, 
because he at once adopted them. He liked to be on 
hand when anything was doing, and tagged the members 
persistently. 

The family was at dinner a few nights later when 
Mr. Carter remarked suddenly: “By the way, I met 
an old friend to-day, mother. I asked him out over 
Sunday. Is it all right?” 

“An old friend?” Mrs. Carroll repeated curiously. 
^^Who, pray?” 

But Mr. Carroll only chuckled aggravatingly and 
refused to answer until he and his wife were alone in 
their room. 

“Now, tell me who 's coming,” she demanded, with 
a determined light in her eyes. 

“Guess I '11 have to, if that 's the way you feel about 
it,” he replied teasingly. Then he went on in graver 
tones. “It 's Sid. He was down on Wall Street with his 
cousin, and came into my office to see me, so I asked 
him over. You don’t mind, do you, dear?” 

“Of course not,” she assured him heartily; “only I ’m 
afraid the boy will notice the contrast after the Vand3me 
magnificence. He ’ll probably find it dull here, now.” 


22 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G.^S” 


^‘Ke ’ll notice the contrast all right,” Mr. Carroll 
asserted positively, ‘^but as to finding it dull, don’t you 
believe it! He fairly jumped at the invitation.” 

The next morning at breakfast Mrs. Carroll told 
Carter who the expected visitor was. He received the 
news in silence. 

Don’t you want him to come, Carter?” she asked 
anxiously. ^^Why, I thought you cared more for Sid 
than for any of the boys.” 

‘^1 do,” he replied slowly; '^but he’ll be different, 
now, after having automobiles, and riding horses, and 
things like that. Those people are awfully rich. Why, 
they even have a footman back of your chair while you ’re 
eating; really they do.” 

Mrs. Carroll burst out laughing. 

That ’s easily managed,” she said mockingly. Won’t 
a foot-woman do? I ’ll tell Minnie to stand back of 
Sid’s chair if you want me to. She ’ll do it because she ’s 
fond of him.” 

‘^Oh, you know what I mean,” Carter answered 
crossly; he did not take a joke as well as he might, some- 
times. ^'Sid ’ll notice the difference, that ’s all. He ’ll 
think we ’re slow.” 

But Sid did not seem to think anything of the kind, 
or if he did, he disguised it admirably. He arrived very 
promptly, Saturday morning. There were tears in his 
eyes as Mrs. Carroll greeted him in her motherly fashion, 
but he brushed them away hurriedly, and hoped that 
she had not noticed them. She had, though, and loved 
him all the more for them. At first the boy seemed un- 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


23 


usually quiet and preoccupied, and not once did he refer 
to his cousins, or to his experiences since his mother's 
departure. 

The I. G.'s" gathered early, eager to see Sid again, 
and the day proved to be a jolly one. The boys found 
some bricks in the cellar, and begged a pail of plaster 
from the workmen at the new house on the corner. Then 
they worked away like beavers, making an oven in the 
garden. After it was plastered and the top of an old 
stove placed across it, it formed a first class camper's 
range. The work took most of the morning, but the 
result was so satisfactory that the boys hurried home, 
not to eat lunch, but to beg supplies and cook a meal 
for themselves. 

Vacation days were young, and such requests had 
not yet been frequent enough to become annoying, so 
they returned from their quest with a varied assortment 
of materials, enough to stock a comfortable larder. 
Meanwhile Sid telephoned to the store and ordered 
fruit and fancy crackers as his contribution to the 
menu. After that the energetic young cooks were 
in their element and soon had ready an appetizing 
lunch of crisp bacon and eggs, roast corn and pota- 
toes, with plenty of bread and butter. As they ate, 
each one was loud in praise of his own particular 
effort. 

The wafers, fruit, and cocoa were to be the dessert, 
so the latter was put on to cook during the lunch. Just 
as Carter rose to lift it from the stove, Sid jumped to 
his feet in great excitement. 


24 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


‘^What’s that?^' he demanded, pointing to a thick 
column of smoke that rose over the bay. 

“Tug, probably,^^ Carter answered carelessly. “Some 
of them are regular smoke nuisances.^^ 

“Big fire somewhere, sure,^^ Sid declared positively. 
“That ’s an engine calling for more coal,’’ he added, as 
a shrill whistle sounded over the Island. 

“But it might be that thirty-second whistling buoy,” 
Arthm objected. “You know — that new one off 
Robbins’ Reef. They were trying it yesterday.” 

“ Buoy nothing ! ” Carter answered decisively. “ Guess 
we can tell a fire whistle when we hear it. It ’s near 
the bay, somewhere. I wonder if the fire-boats will be 
there.” 

The mere mention of fire-boats was enough for the 
boys. Forgetting the necessary cleaning up after their 
feast, forgetting even the steaming cocoa which Carter 
had placed upon the improvised table, they dashed off in 
a body, in search of the fire. It proved to be at the cotton 
docks not far from the ferry-house. By the time they 
appeared on the scene, the place had become a dense 
mass of smoke through which great tongues of fiame 
shot skyward at increasingly short intervals. 

The boys gathered on the bank above — the police 
refused to allow any one to go nearer — and gazed en- 
tranced at the spectacle. The engines on the land side 
were pouring steady streams into the burning docks, 
but they seemed to have as little effect as the water 
from a boy’s blow-pipe. From the bay, two of the fire- 
boats were playing great volumes of salt water into the 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


25 


now solid mass of flame. At flrst, these also seemed 
futile against the powerful enemy, but finally the roar- 
ing tongues shot up less and less frequently; the blazing 
mass grew dull and blackened in places; the flames 
sank lower and lower until the great docks were one 
sullen, smoking mass of ruin, injured almost beyond 
repair. 

So intent were the boys on the great fire panorama 
spread out before them, the contest between nature and 
art, that they did not notice that Dixie had followed 
them. The first thing they heard was a piercing yelp, 
followed by an angry “Woof! woof! woof !^’ from the dog, 
and furious curses from a man who went rolling over 
and over down the bank. He pulled himself together at 
the bottom, just as a policeman approached and ordered 
him to get out. 

“I’m a gittin’ !” he answered in surly tones. Looking 
up, he caught sight of Dixie, the innocent cause of his 
fall, peering down at him. 

“Ye little beast!” he apostrophized him angrily. “Ye 
will git in my way, will ye? Jist wait ’til I git at ye!” 

But Dixie did not wait. As the angry Irishman scram- 
bled up the bank towards him, he turned and fled, while 
the crowd shouted with laughter at the man’s mishap. 

The boys learned afterwards that Dixie made straight 
for his drinking cup when he reached home, thirsty 
from his hurried exit. Finding it empty, he pranced 
about directly in Minnie’s way, rushing from her to 
the sink and back again, until he succeeded in attracting 
her attention. 


26 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


'Hs it thirsty you are?’’ she asked at last. '‘Here, 
you imp, take it now, an’ make yerself scarce!” 

But when she tried to fill his dish, only a few drops 
of water trickled from the faucet. Hurrying into the 
laundry she met with the same result. As she hesitated, 
uncertain what to do about it, Mrs. Carroll herself 
appeared in the doorway, carrying a glass in her hand. 

"There’s no water at all in the bathroom,” she ex- 
plained, "but I thought it would run down here. It’s 
on account of the fire, I suppose. I wonder where it is?” 

"At the cotton docks, ma’am.” 

Minnie always found out things because she had so 
many agents. She was popular with butcher and baker, 
milkman, ashman, and letter carrier, so of course she was 
always well informed. 

"I wish the docks would advise us when they are 
going to bum,” Mrs. Carroll complained smilingly; 
"then we could draw water in advance. This is the 
second time in two months they’ve shut off our pressure. 
Poor Dickey Bird! I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until 
the engines leave. Hard lines, isn’t it, old fellow?” 

When the boys returned, thirsty and ready for their 
cocoa, they found the bucket so clean that they accused 
Minnie of washing it. . 

"An’ how in the world could I wash it,” Minnie 
demanded indignantly, "when there ain’t any water in 
the house? I’d just like to know that!” 

While she was speaking, Dixie appeared, and a tell- 
tale spot on his face caught Carter’s eye. 

"There’s our cocoa!” he said resignedly. 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


27 


'' Where? Johnny demanded, looking around inno- 
cently. 

“Right there!’’ Carter pointed to the spot which 
Dixie had evidently not yet discovered. “I hope it was 
good, you rascal!” 

After they went upstairs that night, the two boys 
engaged in some lively skirmishes, — first with water 
from their tooth brushes, then with their pillows. Even 
after Sid was ready for bed, he was challenged by a 
shower of baseball scores that went sailing mysteriously 
through the air above and around him. But they finally 
settled down and discussed “S. I. G.” plans until Mr. 
Carroll’s voice warned them of the hour. After that 
they talked in whispers for a time, whispers which grew 
gradually louder and louder, until for the second time 
poor Mr. Carroll was forced to go into the hall and 
remind them politely but firmly that even if they did 
not care to sleep, there might be others in the house 
who did. 

“Don’t see why they want to punish West Point 
cadets for that ^silence treatment’ stunt of theirs,” he 
grumbled, as he once more sought his own bed. “Guess 
the commandant don’t know when he’s well off!” 

But Mrs. Carroll was interested neither in talk at 
home nor in silence at West Point: she was sound 
asleep. 

Sid was to leave early Monday morning, so it was 
arranged for him to go over on the eight-thirty ferry 
with Mr. Carroll. Carter told him good-bye at the 
breakfast table, as he had to go to the store on an 


28 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


errand for his mother. The two boys were genuinely 
fond of each other, but no one would have suspected 
it from their nonchalant words at parting. 

^^Come again, Sid,’^ Carter urged politely. 

Thanks, I will,’’ Sid responded, with equal politeness. 

'^So longl” 

^^So long!” 

Then Sid, after a few low-toned words of thanks to 
Mrs. Carroll, for his visit, went upstairs to get his suit- 
case, while Mr. Carroll waited at the front door. Five 
minutes passed: no boy! Mr. Carroll fumed and fidgeted 
anxiously. He never allowed much of a margin for 
making his boat, and he remembered an important 
early engagement for that very morning. When five 
more minutes passed without results, he consulted his 
watch, snapping the case shut with visible anxiety as 
he wondered what was detaining the lad. 

^^He ought to have packed his grip last night,” he 
muttered impatiently, pacing back and forth with 
uneasy strides. ^^Just like a boy! I could have been 
ready for Europe by this time.” 

Two minutes later he strode to the foot of the stairs. 

^^Sid! Sid! Hurry, boy; I must make the eight-forty- 
five! Too late for the eight-thirty now, I’m afraid!” 

When she heard his voice, Mrs. Carroll appeared at 
the door of the dining-room, crumb pan and scraper in 
hand. It was laundry day, when Minnie had her hands 
full, and needed help with the table and dishes. 

^'What’s the matter, dear?” she asked in surprise. 
^^I thought you had gone long ago.” 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


29 


'^See what’s keeping that boy, Eve,” he urged shortly. 
^^Go hurry him up, can’t you?” 

‘‘Hurry him down, you mean,” she retorted laughingly, 
glad to get a “rise” out of him. 

But she flew upstairs and disappeared into Carter’s 
room. A moment later she reappeared. 

“Go on! Don’t wait!” she commanded briefly, in a 
whisper. 

“But Sid?” 

“He’s not going,” was the subdued reply, accompanied 
by several motions which were Greek to her husband. 

“ Not going? Why? ” 

“Oh, go on! Do!” she whispered urgently. 

“But what — ” 

His question remained unfinished, because Mrs. 
Carroll had disappeared again. By this time he was 
genuinely anxious. Fearing an accident or sudden 
illness, he hurried upstairs two steps at a time, and 
stalked into the room, but stopped short in amazement. 
There was Sid, usually so self-controlled, crouched on 
the floor, his head buried in the bedclothes while great 
sobs shook the boyish frame from head to foot. Mrs. 
Carroll was bending over him, patting his shoulder and 
murmuring soothing words. 

“Is he sick?” he whispered anxiously. “Shall I tele- 
phone for Dr. Howell?” 

But Mrs. Carroll only motioned for him to leave the 
room, and followed him into the hall an instant later. 

“Yes, he is sick,” she said with tears in her eyes, 
“but he doesn’t need the doctor.” 


30 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


“Why — Mr. Carroll began to remonstrate, but 
a gesture from his wife checked him. 

“It^s homesickness, poor lad! Just let him alone, 
dear. He’s held in until he can’t keep still any longer. 
It will do him good to give way.” 

“But are you sure it’s just that?” he persisted in 
anxious tones. 

“Quite sure,” she answered positively. “And he’s 
not going back to those people, let me tell you. He’s 
going to stay with us. May he, dear?” 

“Sure!” came the hearty response, as the two went 
into the room again. “Glad to have him. You under- 
stand that, my boy, don’t you?” he added, smoothing 
the lad’s ruffled hair gently as he spoke. His speech was 
gruff, even sharp at times, but he had the kindest heart 
in the world, a^ his wife and boy and his friends all 
knew. 

“Then it’s settled!” Mrs. Carroll said, with a relieved 
sigh. “I knew he was n’t happy the instant I saw him, 
but I did n’t realize it was as bad as it is. Will you see 
Mr. Vandyne and arrange the matter,” she asked, fol- 
lowing her husband into the hall, “or shall I? They 
must be pretty queer people not to appreciate a fine, 
manly boy like Sid. Cold as — as fishes, I think!” 

“I’ll telephone Vandyne right away,” Mr. Carroll 
promised. “Good-bye, dear! I’m late. Good-bye, Sid! 
You’re one of the family now, don’t forget!” 

“Thank you, sir,” Sid murmured brokenly, his head 
still hidden in his arms. 

It was not until Mr. Carroll had hurried down the 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


31 


stairs and was sprinting nimbly towards the ferry, that 
the boy raised his head and shamefacedly tried to 
explain it all to Mrs. Carroll. 

^Ht — it^s so lonely over there! Oh! you don’t know 
how lonely! I’m downright sick of handsome furniture 
and hangings, and servants tiptoeing about! And they 
never want a fellow to do anything unless he has a foot- 
man tagging after him like a nurse-girl!” Sid’s tone 
grew contemptuous at the memory of his humiliation. 
^^I tried to stand it for mother’s sake, honestly I did, 
Mrs. Carroll. This don’t look much like it, but I did. 
And I guess I’d have managed it all right if I hadn’t 
come over here where it’s like — like home. I was all 
right when I came up after my grip, but all of a sudden 
I felt as though I could n’t go back to that old dungeon 
after — after all this — this home part, and — and — ” 
He broke off abruptly, then added anxiously: Guess 
you and Mr. Carroll think I’m a regular cry-baby.” 

Indeed we don’t, Sid,” came the comforting assur- 
ance. There isn’t a manlier boy on the block than 
the one I’m talking to right this minute.” 

^^But — you said I could stay — only — perhaps 
mother will think I ought not to bother you.” His tone 
showed the alarm he felt at the thought of any change 
of plan. 

‘‘We won’t tell your mother anything about this,” 
Mrs. Carroll relieved his anxiety promptly. “We’ll say 
that we asked you to be company for Carter. You know 
we go to the lakes next month, and he’ll be delighted to 
have a companion of his own age. Last year there were 


32 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


plenty of boys there, but not one just right for him. 
I 'm sure your mother will feel relieved to know that 
you are with us. Leave the explanation to me, Sid. 
She^s away to get well and strong, and little things 
worry a person in her condition more than you realize. 
Mr. Carroll will explain to the Vandynes, and have 
them send over your things. I hope they ^11 be willing 
to let you come to us.’^ 

Humph Sid said bitterly. ‘^Need n^t worry about 
that! They’ll be tickled to death! I couldn’t help 
overhearing them once. They feel awfully sorry for 
people that are burdened with children, especially boys. 
I was a regular cross to them, I guess.” 

^^Well, we’ll think you’re a crown for our summer’s 
happiness,” Mrs. Carroll replied brightly. ‘^Now change 
that Sunday suit, young man. I’ll give you this other 
closet for your things when they come. These extra 
clothes and the comforts can be put in one of the attic 
closets. You and Carter may carry them up by and 
by. Make yourself at home, won’t you? I want you 
to feel settled until your mother comes back. There’s 
Carter now.” 

— I don’t want — ” Sid began stammeringly, 
laying a detaining hand on her arm. She understood his 
fears and hastened to reassure him. 

‘^I’ll keep him downstairs until you are ready to 
come down,” she arranged with great thoughtfulness, 
knowing that though the boy might give way before her 
to the great wave of homesickness that fairly over- 
whelmed him, he would brave it out to the last stroke 


THE BREAK REPAIRED 


33 


before the boys. ^^We^ll simply tell him that I begged 
you to come to us instead of staying with the Vandynes, 
and that you have consented. He will be so glad to 
have his best friend with him he wonT ask questions 
about it.” 

Fifteen minutes later as Carter was helping his mother 
arrange some flowers he had brought in from the garden, 
she surprised him by the announcement: We Ve taken 
a boarder for the siunmer.” 

A boarder? A boarder ! ” Carter^s tone spoke volumes 
of distaste. ^^Why? Who? What do we want a boarder 
for, I^d like to know?” 

‘‘When? Where? What? How?” she mimicked 
teasingly. “CanT you ask a few more questions. Car- 
ter? I said, a boarder.” 

“You’re joking.” 

“Indeed I’m not! And I’m especially glad of the 
arrangement on your account.” 

“Huh! You needn’t bring in any old prig boarders 
for me!” Carter announced flatly. “I’ve got friends 
enough to — ” 

“Nevertheless, I think you’ll enjoy this one. Sh! 
here he comes now!” 

Carter looked up and saw his friend standing in the 
doorway — not the Sid in the immaculate pale gray 
suit, from whom he had parted less than an hour ago, 
but the Sid of the “S. I. G.’s,” in his khaki clothes, 
ready for the day’s fun. For an instant he stared at 
him in silence, while his mother wondered whether, in 
helping one boy, she had possibly failed to please another 


34 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


as much as she had hoped. But the silence was caused 
by astonishment. An instant later, when he had had 
time to realize what the new arrangement meant to 
him, he sent the flowers he was holding flying into the 
air. 

‘^Hurrah!’' he cried out excitedly. Three cheers for 
the new boarder! That’s great! Come on, Sid, I hear 
some of the 'S. I. G.’s’ now. Let’s tell ’em what’s 
happened.” 

The two dashed out, whistling shrilly to attract the 
attention of the boys while Mrs. Carroll smiled in a 
pleased fashion as she watched them go. 

^‘It will do them both good!” she exclaimed softly. 


CHAPTER III 


The New Guns 

On the following Thursday the postman handed Carter 
a card for himself and one for Sid among the bundle of 
letters and papers in the noon mail. Sid was spending 
the day and night wdth Johnny. He had received any 
number of invitations from the ^'S. I. G.^s^^; they were 
all rejoiced to have him with them again. He was a 
handsome boy, dark-haired, with flashing black eyes. 
He was even-tempered, too, with a happy disposition, 
yet his friends knew that they could go just so far with 
him. The first attempt at imposition was usually the 
last, and they respected him all the more on this account. 
His return was welcomed by the mothers, too, not only 
because they were fond of gentle Mrs. Armstrong, but 
because they liked Sid himself so well. 

The cards contained peremptory orders for the mem- 
bers of ^‘Company H, U. B. B. A.,’’ to report for 'in- 
spection that night, as the major-general in command 
of the brigade in New York State was to be present. 
The cadets were urged to turn out in immaculate con- 
dition, guns polished, uniforms trim and clean, shoes 
shiny, and gloves snowy. 

All of the "S. I. G.'s^^ belonged to the "United Boys^ 
Brigade of America’’ — the "U. B. B.,” as they called 
it. They were all enthusiastic over the drills, and never 


36 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


let anything interfere with them. Their company, Com- 
pany H, met in the chapel of the church each Thursday 
night, imder the captaincy of one of the officers of the 
National Guard, Captain Truitt. The Stars also 
belonged to Company H, and a constant rivalry between 
the two nines ensued, as to which should be the most 
expert in the manual of arms. 

There were several other companies on the Island, 
and on parade days, or at any public function at which 
the B. was present, each company turned out 
in martial array, and vied with the others to present the 
most soldierly appearance. At such times the '^Stars’’ 
and the ‘‘S. I. G.’s^' forgot all private rivalries, and 
became simply members of Company H, with hearts 
set upon the same object, the glory of the company. 

Carter read his card through a second time, then hur- 
ried upstairs to examine his uniform. There was an 
elaborate full-dress outfit prescribed for all the Brigade, 
but the service uniform for each company had been left 
to individual choice. Company H had decided upon a 
neat West Point gray, with black stripes down the 
trousers, and black braiding on the military jacket. 

The new guns had arrived at the close of the previous 
week^s drill, too late for use that night, but each cadet 
had been allowed to take his home to get it into good 
condition for the next drill. They were the real article, 
as the boys exultingly informed every one who would 
listen; army rifles that had seen actual service but were 
a little out of date as to pattern, which had been pur- 
chased by special permission from the government itself. 


THE NEW GUNS 


37 


Ever since the formation of the company the cadets had 
drilled with gun-shaped sticks, and Carter's spirits fell 
as he read the card and realized that the first drill with 
the regular guns would be the inspection. He regretted 
that they had not had at least one evening's practice 
beforehand. 

When he reached his room the night the guns came, 
he found that the stock of the weapon had been heavily 
coated with vaseline as a protection against rust, so he 
spent almost an hour cleaning and polishing it until it 
shone brilliantly. It was after ten o'clock when a decisive 
command reached his ears. 

“Go to bed. Carter!" Mr. Carroll ordered from the 
foot of the stairs. “Do you hear?" 

“Yes, sir! In a minute!" came his favorite formula. 

Exactly sixty minutes later, Mr. Carroll passed by 
his door and stopped in astonishment as he saw a crack 
of light shining beneath it. 

“I do wish that boy would remember to put out the 
light," was his impatient thought, as he turned the knob 
of the door carefully, in order not to disturb the sleeper. 
But no such caution was needed: there sat Carter, still 
in full uniform, except for cap and gloves, so intently 
examining and polishing his new possession that he was 
entirely oblivious to his father's entrance. 

“Do you know what time it is, sir?" Mrs. Carroll 
heard her husband ask in his sternest tones. 

Carter jumped in surprise. 

“N-no, sir!" he stammered hurriedly. “I was only 
waiting a minute to finish cleaning my gun." 


38 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^^A minute his father repeated, consulting his 
watch as he spoke: ^^you ought to be with the ^minute 
man' at Concord! It's exactly twenty minutes after 
eleven!" 

After eleven!" Carter echoed blankly. ‘^Why, I 
thought it wasn't ten o'clock yet. Just see, father! 
Is n't it a dandy? This little thing is the sight, but I 
don't know what this is for, do you?" 

Mr. Carroll sat down beside him to examine the part 
in question. Then he discovered a bit of metal that was 
still unpolished and proceeded to make it outshine 
Carter's efforts. After that the gun was cocked and 
uncocked, the bayonet put in and taken out, the weight 
tested and estimated. 

‘^That's the only objection I have to the guns," Mr. 
Carroll said earnestly. ‘^They're too heavy for you 
boys. Now a lighter rifle, or even a buckshot gun — " 

'^But, father," the boy reminded him proudly, “these 
are real army rifles. Why, this very gun may have been 
in some big battle. Just think of it! See this funny 
little dent! Looks as though it might have been made by 
a bullet, don't you think so?" 

The two heads were bent in earnest scrutiny over the 
innocent looking dent when a deep, stern voice from the 
doorway made them both jump. 

“Do you know what time it is, sir? It's exactly 
twenty minutes past twelve!" And there stood Mrs. 
Carroll, in kimona and slippers, watch in hand, laugh- 
ing hard. 

Both the culprits started involuntarily, then the older 


THE NEW GUNS 


39 


one rose to his feet somewhat sheepishly, muttering 
excuses as he did so. 

^‘Something Carter didn^t understand, you know, 
so I — I tried to explain it, and — ” 

“1^11 warrant there ^s nothing about that fascinating 
article you don^t both understand now, though, came 
the teasing answer, as she calmly took possession of the 
gun and marched out, to guard against further delay. 

All this had happened a week earlier, and Carter had 
not looked at his uniform since that night, but remember- 
ing the gun^s liberal coating of vaseline which he had 
not discovered until he had “shouldered arms’^ and 
been through several manoeuvres, he took it down with 
many misgivings. As he expected, the shoulder and 
upper part of the breast of the jacket were dark with 
grease. 

He knew that there was no use asking his mother to 
help him in his difficulty. The neighborhood club met 
at the house that afternoon. It was quite a large club, 
so both Mrs. Carroll and Minnie had their hands full. 
Even as he came upstairs he had seen them working 
away in the kitchen, preparing the refreshments for the 
party. He had generously offered to crack the nuts and 
seed the raisins for them, and his offer had been promptly 
accepted on condition that he whistle all the time he 
worked. But somehow or other the condition seemed 
to rob the situation of its charm, and he had gone on 
upstairs. 

He gazed at the mass of solid black which disfigured 
his jacket, in real despair. Ordinarily a heavy coating 


40 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


of magnesia chalk would have absorbed the grease, 
and could have been easily brushed off before the drill. 
But he had forgotten to get another cake of magnesia, 
and he realized that not one but many applications would 
be necessary to remove such a soaking as his coat had 
received. He thought of gasolene. Many of the boys 
used it, he knew. He also knew that his father had 
distinctly forbidden its purchase for any purpose what- 
soever. But then this was a special case: it was abso- 
lutely necessary. Of course he would be willing for this 
one time, if he only knew about it: of course he would. 

So, quieting his uneasy conscience, he ransacked the 
pantry for an empty jar, had it filled at the oil store, 
and carefully shutting the door from the laundry into 
the hall, set to work. It was not long before the spot 
disappeared, and except for a darkened line where the 
cleaning operations ended, the uniform looked as new 
as ever, and he surveyed the result of his labor with great 
pride. 

Hearing Minnie out in the hall, he pushed the jar with 
the rest of the gasolene, back on the shelf above the 
refrigerator. It tipped over in transit, and lost part of 
its contents, because he had been too anxious to get the 
evidences of his work out of sight, to screw on the lid 
properly. He hurriedly mopped up the little stream 
which trickled down from the refrigerator, trusting to 
evaporation to complete the process; then carefully 
tucking the oily rag into the middle of the ash-can where 
it could neither do damage nor tell tales, he went on his 
way rejoicing. 


THE NEW GUNS 


41 


He had promised to be in at five that afternoon to 
help Minnie pass the refreshments, so at four forty-five 
he unwillingly tore himself away in the midst of an ex- 
citing set at the tennis courts, and started home. 

‘^I’ll take your place. Car,” one of the boys called 
after him. ^^I^m A-1 at passing cake and stuff!” 

^'So am I!” ^^Count me in!” ^^I’m your man!” 
were the laughing offers that followed; but Carter de- 
clined them all and marched off sulkily, promising to be 
back as soon as possible to finish the set. He wished that 
Sid were there to help him: then it would have been play 
instead of work. 

He slipped upstairs to his room to change his collar 
and tie, and entered the parlor just as the program 
ended and the ladies were standing about chatting and 
laughing. For the next ten minutes he was kept busy 
passing sandwiches and cakes, and trays of delicate 
glasses filled with jelly, covered with whipped cream 
and decorated with maraschino cherries. After all the 
guests were served, and Minnie was passing the coffee, 
he saw one of the ladies take a spoonful of the jelly, 
then turn with a wry face, and whisper to her neighbor. 

^‘What on earth is the matter with it? Such a queer 
taste!” 

don^t know what it can be,” was the subdued 
answer. '^It^s too much for me, though!” 

Carter glanced about anxiously. He was standing 
just within the entrance to the pantry where he could 
see both rooms plainly without being seen himself. 
One after another in the dining-room essayed the jelly. 


42 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


and one after another gave up in despair, yet in the parlor 
beyond the ladies were eating away with the greatest 
relish, more than one guest accepting a second glass. 

“I wish you^d tell me how you make this jelly,'^ Mrs. 
Boynton urged. ^^When I put nuts or white grapes in 
mine it never turns out well, but this is perfectly de- 
licious. Thank you, Minnie, I believe I will,’^ she 
» ended laughingly as she proceeded to help herself to 
another glass from the tray offered by the delighted 
Minnie, while surprised glances and shrugs of astonish- 
ment passed between the occupants of the dining-room. 

Just then Mrs. Carroll, who had been busy serving her 
guests, began to eat her own portion of the jelly. She 
took only one spoonful, however. Blushing uncomfort- 
ably, she hesitated for an instant, but finally said bravely: 

^^Mine isnT delicious! It tastes perfectly awful — 
like oil, or something of that sort. I ’m so sorry. I don’t 
understand it! Minnie!” 

'^Yes,’m,” Minnie replied, appearing promptly. 

‘^Has the jelly been near any oil?” 

^^Oil? Oil? No, ma’am! We have n’t any oil in 
the house except salad oil. The jelly was put on top 
of the ice chest till it got cold enough to go inside, an’ 
there ain’t no oil there.” 

Carter heard both question and answer with a sinking 
heart. A perfect hubbub of surmise and suggestions 
arose among the ladies, but he paid no attention. He 
grew first hot, then cold, as he realized what had caused 
the trouble. Glancing anxiously towards his mother, 
he saw that she was flushed with embarrassment; that 


THE NEW GUNS 


43 


in spite of kindly urging from the sufferers in the after- 
noon^s feast, ^^not to bother about it at all!” and even 
more kindly assurances from the lucky ones that they 
^^had never tasted better jelly in their lives!” she was 
hurt and miserable over the occurrence. One more 
glance at her face settled the matter. Gritting his teeth 
to keep from following the impulse to run away, he 
stepped into the room. 

guess I spilled some gasolene on the jelly,” he said 
abruptly. It cost him an effort even to say that much. 

Gasolene?” his mother stared at him in amazement. 

Why, where did you find gasolene? Your father does n’t 
allow it in the house at all.” 

know,” he explained, anxious to get the ordeal 
over; ^^but I bought some to clean my uniform. It 
tipped over when I was putting it away, but I did n’t 
know that any of it went into the jelly,” he added 
honestly, ^^or I’d have told you.” 

'Wery well,” Mrs. Carroll said quietly. ^'You may 
go out now, if you wish to.” 

‘^I rather think — ” began Mrs. Walton’s harsh voice, 
and he clenched his hands angrily, but before he reached 
the front door he heard Mrs. Boynton interrupt her 
unceremoniously. 

“I’d be proud of him!” she finished the sentence 
quickly. “It was just an accident, and I call it down- 
right brave to confess it frankly before a crowd of people 
like this. Not many boys would be manly enough to 
do it.” 

There was a murmur of assent at which be squared 


44 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


his shoulders and really began to feel quite elated, but 
his mother^s quiet reply brought him down again. 

‘^The confession was all right, Mrs. Boynton,^^ Mrs. 
Carroll said quietly, smiling gratefully at her boy^s 
partisan; ^^but that doesnT save the jelly. And you 
forget that having the gasolene at all after his father^s 
express command was deliberate disobedience, and 
might have entailed disastrous consequences. I don^t 
know what Mr. Carroll will say.’^ 

Carter was not left long in doubt as to his father^s 
views on the subject. He received one of the sternest 
reproofs he had ever had in his life. 

Your mother and I want to trust our boy,’^ his father 
ended. ^Tf we make a rule we have a good reason for it, 
and we expect you to abide by it. DonT you know, 
son, that having gasolene, or any extremely inflammable 
substance in the house, might cost us all our furniture 
insurance, if the house should take fire? You know how 
poor the water pressure has been lately. How much 
chance do you think we would stand, here on the hill, 
in case of fire? I want you to think this over, and re- 
member, neither your mother nor I make rules just for 
the pleasure of making them; we make them because 
they are necessary. You knew you were disobeying, did 
you not? Or did you forget?’’ 

Carter hesitated an instant. He longed to say: 
forgot,” but ended by answering truthfully. 

^^Very well! I suppose you know, too, that you com- 
pletely spoiled your mother’s refreshments after she had 
worked over them all morning?” 


THE NEW GUNS 


45 


I sorry!’’ he answered sulkily. 

'^It’s a pity your sorrow didn’t begin beforehand. 
If it were not that you told the truth about the matter 
this afternoon, I should have made your punishment 
more severe. As it is, you may go to your room at once, 
sir, and go to bed.” 

Before dinner?” Carter faltered anxiously. He 
had had no lunch at all, and had been so upset by 
the jelly episode that he had not tasted the after- 
noon’s refreshments, so by that time he was genuinely 
hungry. Unfortunately his father knew nothing of 
this. 

'^At once, sir!” he answered sternly. 

^^But to-night’s inspection at the 'U. B. B.,’” he 
pleaded anxiously. ‘^The major-general’s to be there 
and — ” 

^'Good-night!” his father interrupted decisively. 
Carter never disobeyed that tone. 

The poor boy tossed and turned restlessly. It was a 
warm night, and through the opened windows he heard, 
presently, the whistle of passing cadets, but he sent 
back no answering signal. He was glad that Sid was at 
Johnny’s: no one need know why he was absent from 
drill. He would pay the fine, rather than give a reason 
for his absence. He tried to drown his regret at missing 
the inspection by the thought that perhaps it would not 
amount to much. The boys were not used to their guns 
yet: they would be sure to make all sorts of mistakes! 
But it was not very comforting, after all, and his regret 
remained as keen as ever. As to his disobedience, he 


46 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S” 


was sorry, angry, and sorry again, by turns; but first 
and foremost he was hungry. 

He tried to recall what they were to have for dinner 
that night. He could not remember the meat, but he 
thought it was to be beef steak, and he was quite sure 
of the tomato salad, and the peaches and chocolate cake 
for dessert. Before he realized it he had shed a few hot 
tears, a mingling of sorrow, regret, rebellion, and hunger; 
but he wiped the tell-tale moisture away instantly and 
tried to imagine that it was perspiration due to the 
warmth of the evening. 

As he turned again, with a dismal groan of discomfort, 
he heard a light rap on his door. 

'^Who is it?’^ he demanded gruffly, sitting up in bed. 
It was bad enough to be punished like a ^^kid,’^ he 
thought, without having people come to “rub it in^’ 
afterwards. 

“It^s mother, Car!^’ came the soft reply. “May I 
come in?’' 

“Sure!” was all he answered, but it contained volumes 
of eager welcome. 

“I remembered that you did not come in to lunch, so 
I brought you something to eat,” she said gently. “It’s 
a long stretch from breakfast until to-morrow morning. 
Where were you at lunch time?” 

“Practicing on the field,” he answered, brightening 
visibly. “We’ll be ready to play the ^Stars’ pretty 
soon, but we’ve got to put in a lot of work and win, or 
they’ll never stop crowing.” 

His mother had arranged his pillows while he was 


THE NEW GUNS 


47 


talking, and placed a well filled tray on the swinging 
table at the side of his bed. 

^^There! it ^s ready now! Do try to eat something,^' 
she said finally, as she set his soup before him, and 
began fixing his baked potato. 

Try to eat! The mere odor of the good things made 
him fairly ravenous. He set to work with such good 
will that soon an array of empty dishes testified to his 
appetite and his thoroughness. 

’ll have to pour something into these plates,” his 
mother laughed, ^^or Minnie will think they are clean. 
Now good-night, my boy. Try to do as father wishes, 
next time,” she added earnestly. 

She had scarcely had time to get out of sight before 
another knock sounded on his door, and his father 
entered the room. Carter stared at him in amazement 
for he carried a bowl of soup in one hand, and a cup and 
saucer in the other, while the salt shaker, a small plate 
of butter, and a piece of bread were balanced on the 
edge of the saucer. 

‘^Your mother says that you have had no lunch,” 
Mr. Carroll began quietly, ^^so I brought you something. 
Whew! my arm ’s all tangled up,” he ended, laughingly, 
as he stretched the cramped member, after carefully 
depositing his burden on the table. ^‘Couldn’t find 
a tray.” 

Mother knows where they are. Or why did n’t you 
ask Minnie?” 

^‘Thought I wouldn’t bother them,” was the evasive 
reply. just brought up what I happened to find.” 


48 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Thank you, father, he said gratefully. Not for 
worlds would he have told him of his earlier dinner; 
he appreciated too fully his thoughtfulness under the 
circumstances. Instead, he made an effort to do justice 
to the food, and managed to eat a mouthful or two: 
but it was an effort, and his father left the room not a 
little worried over his boy^s lack of appetite. 

Once more Carter settled down, but this time as he 
thought of the love and care which surrounded him, 
he was filled with genuine regret for the ugly mood which 
had possessed him earlier in the evening. He was just 
dropping into an uneasy sleep when a third knock 
sounded, and Minnie’s voice floated through the key- 
hole in a whisper almost loud enough to be heard across 
the bay. 

‘^Hey, Car! Oh, Car! are y’ asleep? It’s Minnie! 
I ’ve got somethin’ for you. Will you come git it?” 

‘VAll right, Minnie,” he answered drowsily. 

^^You poor thing!” was the girl’s sympathetic com- 
ment. She had lived with the Carrolls for years and 
he was still the ^^kid” to her. But suddenly she remem- 
bered the jelly, and changed her tone. ‘‘Not but what 
you deserve to be punished, though! All that good 
jell, an’ the raisins an’ nuts an’ things spoiled. An’ just 
supposin’ we ’d all been burned in our sleep some night! 
What then?” 

“Then Jim would have to get another girl, Min,” 
he retorted promptly, resenting her change of tone. “A 
grocery man ’s got lots of chances. He sees all the pretty 
girls in town. It would n’t take him long.” 


THE NEW GUNS 


49 


‘‘Don’t you believe it!” was all the answer he received 
to his taunt. “Anyhow, I couldn’t let you go hungry. 
See here! I ’ve scrambled you an egg on a bit of toast. 
You don’t care for warmed-over dinner, an’ I could n’t 
git up any sooner. Git up now, do, an’ try to eat some- 
thin’ afore you git one of your bad headaches.” 

And for the third time that night Carter tried to eat, 
but this time even his sense of gratitude failed to make 
him succeed in his effort, and Minnie was forced to 
carry the food down almost untouched. Such unusual 
lack of appetite worried her greatly. She spoke to Mr. 
Carroll about it when he passed by the kitchen window 
to put the hose away. 

“I ’m afeard he ’s sick, sir,” she ended anxiously. 

“I took him up some food too,” Mr. Carroll was be- 
ginning, but Minnie interrupted him in relieved accents. 

“Oh! that ’s the reason! Then it ’s all right.” 

“No, he scarcely ate anything! Just a mouthful or 
two. Perhaps I ’d better ^peak to his mother about it.” 

Mrs. Carroll was placidly finishing her book when 
her husband appeared before her, an anxious look upon 
his face, while Minnie, looking equally anxious, stood 
in the hall. 

“I’m afraid Carter isn’t well,” he began quietly. 

“Not well?” She closed her book with a snap and 
was on her feet instantly. “I’ll go up to him right 
away. But what makes you think he ’s sick? Has he 
got a ‘temper ’?” 

“No, I don’t think he has any fever. I didn’t take 
his temperature though, but — ” 


60 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^^Then what makes you think he ^s sick?’^ she per- 
sisted, as there rose before her the vision of a remarkably 
healthy-looking boy, eating a hearty dinner and talking 
away about I. plans in the liveliest possible 
manner. 

‘‘Why — her husband hesitated an instant, not 
liking to confess his weakness in giving in and taking 
Carter the dinner. “You see — I — you said — he 
stammered nervously, “you said he had no lunch, so 
I took him up a bite. I thought I would n^t bother 
you because you ^re tired after your party, you know. 
But he did n^t seem to have any appetite.^^ 

“An’ he never ate a mouthful, hardly, of what I took 
up to ’im, neither,” came in mournful accents from the 
doorway. “It was scrambled egg on toast, too, an’ you 
know he always likes that, when he ’s well, poor boy.” 

Mrs. Carroll looked from one disturbed face to the 
other, then, in spite of herself, burst into laughter, and 
laughed so hard that her eyes were full of tears. 

“I ’ll tell you what ’s the matter with him,” she said 
as soon as she was able to speak. “Poor boy! he’s 
stuffed, that ’s all! I took him up a tremendous dinner: 
you see he ’d had no lunch,” she added apologetically. 
“I must have been at the head of the procession, because 
he ate every scrap of it. Just think, three dinners! when 
he ’s being punished, too! Talk about an only child! 
How he can help being spoiled I don’t see.” 

“Neither do I!” sighed Mr. Carroll, dolefully; but 
he brightened up as he added gently: “unless he has 
a first-class, sensible little mother — like Carter’s.” 


CHAPTER IV 


A Raid and Its Results 

Carter learned the next morning that he had not 
missed inspection after all. Word had been received 
from the major-general, late in the afternoon, that he 
could not be with them, and that he had decided to 
postpone the inspection for two months in order to 
allow time for the company to become expert in hand- 
ling the new guns. The message was greeted with 
whistles of relief from the cadets, a relief which was 
heartily endorsed by the captain. He had wondered 
all along why the formal inspection of a new company 
should be set for the first night the guns were in use, 
knowing that the company could not do itself justice 
under the circumstances; but, like a true soldier: 

“ His not to reason why, 

His but to do or die.” 

So he had stifled his misgivings and gone on quietly with 
his preparations for the event. 

For the following Thursday the cadets had arranged 
a representation of a camp-fire, with a competitive drill 
for the handsome medal offered by the Consistory of 
the church, and the galleries of the chapel were crowded 
with visitors long before seven-thirty. The room had 


52 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


been transformed into a veritable camp. Several small 
tents had been put up along one side; guns were stacked 
near by; and the camp-fire itself — a red-covered lantern 
skilfully hidden in brush and branches — shed a realistic 
glow on the martial scene. Sentries tramped back and 
forth, challenging all comers. Awkward squads, the 
rookies’^ as they were called, were vigorously drilled, 
and surely never were recruits more awkward. Groups 
of soldiers in undress uniform lounged at the tent flaps, 
singing songs and telling jokes. Later on a skirmish 
took place in which a spy, disguised as a farmer selling 
fruit, was detected, overwhelmed, and marched off a 
prisoner, while the wounded sentry was tenderly carried 
out on a stretcher formed by crossed guns. 

It was such sport that the boys found it hard to ‘^come 
back to earth,’' as Sid expressed it, even for the com- 
petitive drill. When the bugle sounded its brisk “At- 
tention!” a most unusual absence of alacrity greeted 
its warning. Even this first chance to drill with the new 
guns, in the presence of visitors, too, did not compensate 
for the fascinating camp scene they were leaving. 

When the notes of the “Assembly!” sounded, followed 
by the sergeant’s prompt: “Attention, Company! 
Fall in!” Captain Truitt’s keen eye noted this hesitancy, 
slight though it was, and after the usual prayer and 
Bible selection by the chaplain, he read them a, short 
lecture on a soldier’s duty. He had made it his rule 
from the start to let visitors in nowise interfere with 
the work of the company. 

“It ’s not all play, men,” he ended earnestly. “And 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


63 


it not simply wearing a uniform and holding one^s 
self erect, physically. It ’s keeping one^s self erect 
and true morally and spiritually. That,’’ pointing to 
the camp scene at the side, ‘^may seem attractive, but 
it does not form a thousandth part of a soldier’s life. 
He finds little time to lounge around camp-fires and 
sing comic songs. When not in the thick of a battle he 
is much more likely to be trying to clean up under diffi- 
culty, or working hard, on a stomach so empty that 
coffee, beans, and hard tack seem like far-off visions. 
That ’s war, boys!” 

The cadets listened attentively, hoping that the 
captain would go on and tell them some of his earlier 
experiences as a scout in a foreign war, but he had no 
time just then for personal reminiscences. 

'‘You must remember,” he went on impressively, 
"that this 'United Boys’ Brigade of America’ has 
been organized to make loyal soldiers under two 
flags!” 

He paused, and the boys stared at him inquiringly. 
They had always thought that the "Stars and Stripes” 
was the flag to which they owed allegiance. The captain 
read their thoughts and answered them. 

"As loyal citizens of the United States we serve under 
the 'Stars and Stripes,’” taking off his cap, and saluting 
the flag as he spoke; "but we also serve under the 
banner of Jesus Christ, as loyal Christian soldiers. 
Sergeant, call the roll!” 

After roll-call various orders were read, then the 
competitive drill began. The lieutenant, an older boy 


54 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


well versed in the manual of arms, having drilled with 
another company of the U. B. B., took command, while 
the captain, paper and pencil in hand, watched the 
ranks with an eagle eye. A few moments were allowed 
for practice, then the competition began, and the com- 
pany was put through some stiff manoeuvres. Each 
falling off in military precision, each slightest hesitancy 
in obeying the brisk commands correctly, was noted, 
and the cadets ordered to fall out. 

The ranks narrowed to ten, to eight, to five, then to 
two, one of whom was Cooper, captain of the ^^Stars,^' 
the other, Sid! By this time the excitement was intense, 
and not only Captain Truitt, but also the audience 
and the losing contestants, formed themselves into a 
committee of judges, so that every motion of the rival 
cadets was noted. For a time it seemed as though two 
medals would have to be awarded, or the one cut in 
half. Each order was obeyed as by one man. The 
watchers scarcely dared to breathe, so fearful were they 
of missing some untoward motion. 

‘^Parade rest!’' the lieutenant ordered sharply. Then 
he mopped his forehead and turned towards the captain 
inquiringly. The captain nodded, and once more the 
rivals were executing some of the most difficult, man- 
oeuvres, while the spectators, divided naturally, each 
for his own favorite, were hoping silently for some break 
on the part of the other cadet. Finally, when Captain 
Truitt was about to order another rest. Cooper sud- 
denly bobbed his head nervously, to follow the motion 
of his gun, Sid meanwhile staring straight ahead with 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


55 


soldierly erectness. It was a little thing, but it ended 
the contest. 

‘^Private Armstrong wins the medal for efficiency!^' 
the captain announced. “Private Cooper, honorable 
mention!" 

He stepped up to them, with a few low-toned words, 
and gave each boyish hand a hearty grasp. 

“I congratulate you both," he said earnestly. “With 
such drill work as we have had to-night we need have 
no fear of the inspection." 

The rest of the company gave three rousing cheers 
for the winner, followed by an equally hearty round 
for the loser, while the rivals shook hands in the friend- 
liest sort of way. 

At the request of a majority of the company, Mrs. 
Harper had been chosen to award the medal, with Mrs. 
Carroll as second choice in case the invalid should be 
unable to be present. But she was there, and enjoyed 
both camp-fire and competitive drill thoroughly. A spe- 
cial seat had been arranged for her in the drill hall 
itself, as she was not strong enough to mount the stairs 
and join the rest of the guests in the galleries. At a 
signal from the captain she stepped forward, her gentle, 
girlish face aglow with pride in her friends, the boys. 
Her hands, which two years ago had been strong and 
brown, and had handled racquet and oar, golf clubs 
or bridle, with equal ease, were almost transparently 
white from the long illness which followed a severe fall 
from her horse. They trembled with eagerness as she 
pinned the handsome medal on Sid's left breast. 


56 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


intend to write and tell your mother all about 
it/^ she whispered for his ear alone. ^‘She ’ll be proud 
of her boy’s success.” 

Then to every one’s astonishment, she turned to 
Cooper who, poor boy, had been shifting about uneasily, 
feeling his defeat with boyish keenness. 

^^It was a very close contest, and you did such fine* 
work, that I cannot bear to have you go unrewarded,” 
she explained, her clear, low tones audible all over the 
room. As the spoke she took a pin from the lace at 
her neck and fastened it upon his breast. It was a small 
American flag done in colored enamel, a beautiful piece 
of workmanship. The boy glanced from her face to his 
pin and back again to her, fairly beaming as he tried 
to thank her. She understood perfectly that his grati- 
tude was even greater for her public appreciation than 
for the pin itself, handsome as it was. It was such acts 
of consideration as this that endeared her to the lads. 
As she walked slowly back to her seat she was followed 
by a burst of applause from both the company and the 
audience. 

Immediately after the award of the medal and pin, 
the visitors took their departure. Once more the bugle 
sounded the “Assembly.” This time the cadets fell in 
promptly and stood at attention while the captain spoke 
to them about the summer camp to which they had 
been looking forward ever since the company was formed. 

“We are so recently organized,” he explained, “that 
we have not, as yet, been able to procure a camping 
outfit. Neither does the surplus in our treasury — ” 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


57 


Here he stopped short, in spite of all his efforts at 
self-control, and joined in the hearty laugh which greeted 
his mention of the surplus. Strenuous demands had 
been made upon the treasury for various necessary 
articles, as well as for the refreshments for a social even- 
ing and an exhibition drill to which the friends of the 
company had been invited, so that, over and above the 
month^s dues, the treasury surplus at that time was 
represented by the magnificent sum of one dollar and 
ninety cents. 

‘‘And the surplus in our treasury,^^ the captain went 
on smilingly, “scarcely seems to warrant any expendi- 
ture at present; neither can we ask the Consistory of 
the church for more; they have been liberal enough as 
it is. Other companies, as you are probably aware, are 
already encamped on the hill near the fort, but Company 
H will have to forego the encampment for this year. 
By next summer we shall be prepared, and will try to 
make it a memorable holiday. It is simply a pleasure 
deferred.’^ 

He consulted his watch anxiously as he finished the 
announcement, and with the words: “Lieutenant, take 
command for the rest of the evening!’^ hurried from the 
room. 

The ranks looked as black as thunder clouds while 
the captain was delivering the imwelcome news. They 
had talked and thought of the encampment for weeks, 
and even though they all knew the emptiness of their 
treasury, they had hoped, boy-like, that the treat would 
be arranged for them “somehow.’’ Pleasures deferred 


58 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


do not appeal to youthful minds; and when that pleas- 
ure means a B. B. A” camp, under strict army 
regulations, it is not to be put aside lightly. 

As the captain^s erect, soldierly figure disappeared, 
a rumble of disappointment and criticism ran along the 
ranks. The cadets would not have dared to indulge in 
such a manifestation in his presence. He was a kindly, 
thoughtful, Christian man, and a lover of boys, but a 
good deal of a martinet in matters martial. He had had 
experience in military life both in South Africa and in 
America, and the company knew that it was fortunate 
in securing such a drill-master even though his duties 
sometimes called him away early, as on this occasion. 

The lieutenant was thoroughly versed in military 
tactics, and conducted the drills with as much precision 
as the captain himself, but that night, as he saluted 
his superior officer and stepped forward to take com- 
mand, he felt that the rest of the evening would not be 
plain sailing. That rumbling obligato meant reefs 
ahead! There was nothing of the coward about him, 
however, so he ignored the scowling countenances that 
confronted him, and began the closing drill by a series 
of sharp commands that were executed by the rank and 
file with more or less regularity, chiefly less. Even the 
new guns failed to soothe the rankling disappointment 
caused by the loss of their summer^s camping. 

Things went from bad to worse. There was no open 
infraction of rules, however; just a tantalizing slowness 
in executing orders, and an intangible atmosphere of 
insubordination. The climax was reached during the 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


59 


final manoeuver. As the squads wheeled about, one of 
the pivotmen broke step and began sneezing so violently 
that his cap flew off on to the floor. Another and another 
followed suit until it seemed that the cadets were trying 
to sneeze their heads off. At first the lieutenant looked 
suspicious, but a second glance assured him that what-* 
ever the cause, the results, at least, were involuntary. 
It was later than usual, and he knew that he could 
accomplish nothing as things then were, so he wisely 
decided not to try. 

“Sergeant! Dismiss company!’^ he ordered, and the 
sergeant ^s sharp command: “Attention! Port arms! 
Open chambers! Close chambers! Dismissed !^^ was 
followed by a rush for the gun closet where the boys 
stored their weapons, the sneezing still sounding a 
vigorous accompaniment to their movements. 

The lieutenant left at once, but the rest gathered in 
little groups on the pavement in front of the chapel, 
indignantly discussing their hard luck, and begrudging 
the happier fortune of the older companies. 

“They Ve chosen the dandiest place for their camp,’’ 
Carter exclaimed enthusiastically. “It’s on that hill 
near the fort, overlooking the bay, and there’s only one 
road leading up to it. It would be simply great for a 
siege: they could hold it against a whole regiment.” 

“Yes, and that’s not enough for them, it seems,” one 
of the other boys remarked gloomily. “I heard that 
they are all going off on one of the gunboats to-morrow. 
They got permission from Washington. One of the 
^rubber-necks’ is to take them out to the boat.” 


60 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


*^Ilubber-necks’' was the name applied by the boys 
to the small cutters at the Battery, whose duty it is to 
carry the revenue officers to incoming steamers from 
foreign ports, as they enter the harbor, in order to 
receive their declarations of dutiable articles. 

• This bit of news swelled the general discontent to 
almost unbearable proportions. It was hard enough to 
miss a trip on one of the trim little cutters, but to miss 
the gunboat cruise besides seemed almost too much. 

‘‘Captain Truitt might have managed it some way 
or other,’' one of the “Stars” exclaimed angrily. 

Instantly there arose a storm of assent and dissent; 
but loyalty to their captain conquered, and the critics 
soon found themselves in a hopeless minority. 

“What do you think he is?” Sid demanded fiercely. 
“A mint? He can’t make money. If we have n’t it we 
have n’t it, and that’s all there is to it!” 

“The other companies might ask us up at least for 
a day,” Johnny complained in mild tones. 

“They would if they had any sense,” Carter answered 
sharply, as though that settled it, that the possession 
of sense by the lucky campers was not to be expected. 

“Wish we could just see the camp, though,” Johnny 
persisted plaintively. 

“Gee! So do I!” came from more than one cadet. 

“Look here!” It was one of the older boys who be- 
came spokesman. “Why can’t we go up and examine 
the camp to-morrow while they’re away? It won’t do 
any harm, and we’ll find out what we need for next 
year. Then we’d have one day in camp anyway.” 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


61 


This bold proposal met with dead silence for a moment, 
then followed a perfect buzz of argument for and against 
the daring plan. 

‘^Too risky!” the objectors urged. 

‘^No, it isnT. The camp ^11 be deserted!” came 
from those in favor of the plan. 

‘‘They’ll leave guards, though! Of course they will!” 

“No, sir! not with such a treat as that on hand!” 
The author of the scheme spoke with as much assurance 
as though he had personally superintended the ar- 
rangements for the campers’ outing. “All the boys 
would kick to go: such a chance don’t happen every 
day.” 

“Besides, they won’t be expecting — er — visitors,” 
Carter added, chuckling at the idea, “so they won’t be 
as particular as they might be if they knew. The rest 
of you may do as you please, but this chicken goes to 
the ‘U. B. B.’ camp to-morrow, so there!” 

This dashing decision lifted several doubters off the 
fence bodily. 

“Count me in!” “Here too! ” “I’m your man!’^ 
sounded on aU sides, and the controversy ended by a 
party of eight cadets agreeing to meet at the foot of the 
hill near the encampment at ten sharp, the following 
morning. 

On the way home the boys discussed the events of the 
evening, and Carter heartily congratulated Sid on his 
success in winning the medal. There was not the faintest 
touch of jealousy in his congratulations: he was too fond 
of him for that. 


62 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^^But you stood up a good while, too, didn’t you?” 
Sid asked. 

Yep ! only five boys in line when I fell out. I dropped 
my gun too soon. I knew I’d do some silly stunt like 
that,” he explained philosophically. 

^‘Wonder who threw that snuff-powder,” Sid said in 
disgusted tones. ^^It was a nasty trick, I think. Who- 
ever it was wouldn’t have dared to do it if Captain 
Truitt had been there.” 

^^I haven’t any use for that sort of thing,” Carter 
answered, “nor for the boy who did it, either. He’s a 
sneak. It reflects on the whole company, too, that’s 
the worst of it.” 

“Why, do you know who it was?” Sid demanded in 
surprise. 

“I’m pretty sure I do,” was the hesitating reply. 

“Then why didn’t you say something about it?” 

“I’d be likely too, now, would n’t I?” Carter turned 
on his friend angrily. “What do you think I am, Sid 
Armstrong? A tattle-tale or a baby-calf? Just let me 
tell you right here and now — ” 

“Cut it out. Car!” Sid interrupted pacifically. “Of 
course you could n’t give him away — I know that; but 
all the same it was a mean trick. I wonder what the 
captain will do about it?” 

“Don’t know! Court-martial, I guess!” Carter an- 
swered gloomily. “If he only strikes the right one 
the company will be the gainer by it, but he won’t!” 

“Perhaps the cadet will confess.” 

“Yes, and perhaps the moon ’s made of green cheese,” 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


63 


Carter retorted tauntingly, ^^but I^d have to see it — 
either the cheese or the confession — to believe it!’^ 

The next morning promptly at the appointed time, 
not only the eight cadets who had agreed to the plan 
the night before were on hand at the appointed place, 
but also five new recruits, to whom the night had evi- 
dently not brought wise counsel. 

‘^Good thing we’re not superstitious,” Sid commented 
lightly, as he counted the party. ^'Thirteen ’s an un- 
lucky number.” 

‘^Yes,” Carter agreed promptly, '^it is unlucky — for 
those who are not here! I expect to have the time of 
my life to-day!” 

And before the day was over, his expectations were 
fully realized, though possibly not in just the way to 
which he referred. 

They hung about the entrance to the hill road for 
some time, ready to dart into the woods near by in case 
of interruption, but seeing no evidences of the departure 
of the campers, finally concluded that they had made 
an early start for their day’s outing. They knew that 
if strict military discipline was the rule of the camp, it 
would entail guards, so they crept up the hill with great 
stealth, darting from tree to tree, or from one sheltering 
clump of bushes to another. The road led its long, wind- 
ing way through a lonesone stretch of wood, and they 
encountered no one in their slow ascent. At the top of 
the hill two of the boys acted as scouts by pre-arrange- 
ment, and crept forward until they were close to the 
tents. Everything was quiet as the grave. There were 


64 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


no sentries, and the place was evidently deserted. The 
scouts hurried back to tell the good news to the others. 
Much to their surprise it was received with visible dis- 
appointment. 

Pshaw! too bad!’^ one of the raiders muttered im- 
patiently. ^‘Rushing the guards would have been half 
the fun. We could have tied them up in the tents while 
we enjoyed ourselves. They’d have had to toe the mark 
all right.” 

Guess they’d be sorry they were living before we 
got through with them,” another hazarded cheerfully. 

By this time all caution was set aside. The boys were 
talking aloud as they tramped sturdily up to the en- 
campment. 

The site had been well chosen. It commanded a view 
of both the upper and the lower bays and the Narrows, 
and the panorama which spread itself before their eyes 
as they reached the brow of the hill, was fine enough to 
arrest the attention of any but mischief-loving lads bent 
upon an expedition like theirs. 

A majestic ocean liner was steaming slowly past the 
Quarantine Station, its rails lined with incoming pas- 
sengers, while the steerage deck was crowded with 
future Americans eager for a first glimpse of their new 
country. The red-stacked mail boat, a mere pigmy 
compared to the great steamer, had just pulled away 
from its towering neighbor, and was speeding up the 
bay with its freight of foreign mail. One of the barges 
of the Floating Hospital was being slowly tugged to its 
anchorage in the lower bay, bearing a pitiful burden of 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


65 


sick babies to a day of pure air, good food, and medical 
care. Near the farther shore several excursion boats 
puffed along saucily, the music from their bands float- 
ing out on the clear air. 

In the fort near by, a squad of soldiers was drilling; 
a little farther away two huge warships lay at anchor 
off Tompkinsville, their dark gray coats and tall steel 
fighting towers looking grim and warlike. A file of 
Jackies was lined up on one, ready for shore leave. 
Even as the boys watched, a puff of smoke came from 
the side of the largest of the monsters, followed by a 
deafening report. A similar puff and its attendant 
report from the opposite side of the boat announced the 
beginning of a salute. 

“What^s coming in, I wonder? Sid asked curiously. 
^‘It^s twenty-one guns for an admiral and thirteen for 
a commodore, is nT it? Say, donT that look like a foreign 
warship they’re saluting? Or maybe another of the 
fleet ’s coming in.” 

But the attitude of the rest of the boys said, more 
plainly than words themselves: Don’t know and don’t 
care!” They could see the bay with its liners, mail- 
boats, tugs, and steamers, any day. Even warships with 
their deafening salutes had become an old story. Their 
time just then was to be devoted to more important, or 
at least more interesting, matters. 

On closer inspection the camp proved to be quite an 
extensive affair. The tents were arranged to form a 
street which faced the harbor. In the center was a tall 
flag-staff from which a handsome flag floated jauntily 


66 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


in the stiff ocean breeze from the lower bay. At the end 
of the street stood a larger tent, evidently the mess, as 
the opened flap of a small tent next to it displayed a 
stove and cooking utensils of various kinds. A camp 
kettle swung on a crane at the left. Everything was 
orderly, and the whole camp presented a trim, military 
appearance. And oh! how it appealed to its uninvited 
visitors! Their gay spirits were dashed with bitterness 
as a great wave of regret for all that they were missing 
surged over them. 

Here’s where we become a committee of investi- 
gation,” Johnny’s voice broke the bitter silence. ‘‘This 
certainly looks good to me! Don’t see why they wanted 
to leave, even for a gunboat trip. I wouldn’t!” 

“We’ll lunch at the expense of Mr. Lucky-Men,” one 
of the others added, making a dash for the nearest tent. 

Such a thought had not occurred to them before: 
they had intended simply to examine the camp with a 
view to getting ideas for their own outing next year. 
But the feeling that they were being abused had taken 
such firm hold upon them that they greeted the sugges- 
tion to which they would not even have listened, earlier 
in the day, as though it were a matter of course. 

“Whew! isn’t this dandy!” Johnny exclaimed in- 
voluntarily, as he peered into one of the tents. “I see 
myself enjoying a siesta on yon restful couch,” he added 
melodramatically. 

“Oh! it’s not bad, considering!” Sid commented 
grudgingly, but he refrained from explaining what he 
considered. 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


67 


The thirteen examined the nearer tents thoroughly, 
and even though they longed to be critical, they were 
forced to acknowledge that there was no room for criti- 
cism — it was all, to their longing eyes, simply perfect. 

Come on! one of the boys shouted, finally. ‘^Double 
quick for the mess tent! Step lively, now!'^ 

The rest responded with great promptitude, and they 
marched down the street towards the large tent, singing 
lustily: 

“ Soupy, soupy, soup, without a single bean! 

Porky, porky, pork, without a strip of lean! 

Coffee, coffee, coffee, the meanest ever seen! ” 

Just as they started in on '‘We Won’t Go Home 
until Morning” a loud report rang out with startling 
unexpectedness, and the joyfully tuneful procession 
came to a halt with a suddenness that was wonderful 
to behold. Instantly the tents at the farther end of the 
street poured forth a swarm of cadets who surrounded 
the intruders with military precision, their guns point- 
ing straight at them. 

“Hands up!” the lieutenant in command ordered 
sharply. 

Instinctively the boys obeyed. They knew, of course, 
that the rifles were loaded only with blank cartridges, 
if they contained any charge at all, but they realized 
that they were fairly cornered. The young officer in 
command looked stern and business-like, and the cadets 
surrounded them in overwhelming numbers. For an 
instant they stood motionless, in sheer dismay. Only 
for an instant, however: the next moment, as if with one 


68 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


accord, they made a wild dash for liberty. It was a 
valiant attempt, but the ring back of them stood firm, 
a relentless barrier between them and the road. It was 
sheer waste of time, hemmed in as they were, and out- 
numbered at least ten to one. They realized this at 
last after several scrimmages with their captors, and 
submitted to the inevitable with what grace they could 
muster. 

And the hours that followed needed grace; needed it 
in wholesale quantities. The faces of the raiders burned 
for weeks afterwards at the mere thought of the indig- 
nities to which they were forced to submit. But they 
were helpless, at the mercy of the very cadets to whose 
guards they themselves had promised scant mercy, 
earlier in the action. Neither wit nor wisdom availed 
to set them free. 

The court-martial that convened immediately was 
undoubtedly intensely humorous to the victors, but to 
the victims it was humiliatingly serious. At its close 
they found themselves proven spies, and condemned to 
death, but due to the clemency of their captors the 
sentence was commuted to imprisonment at hard labor 
for the rest of the day. 

How they worked, or were worked rather, after its 
adjournment! Their sentence was executed with more 
than martial vigor. They became hewers of wood and 
drawers of water. They were forced to fetch and carry, 
to brush off uniforms and polish shoes, to sweep out 
tents, even to blacken the stove, and wash and prepare 
the vegetables for the noonday meal. Later, as a crown- 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


69 


ing indignity, they had the exquisite pleasure of waiting 
on the campers while they ate what to the hungry 
workers looked and smelled like a veritable feast of 
good things. And through it all their captors kept up 
a grave pretense of reality that would not have shamed 
a camp of regulars under similar conditions. 

This was the hardest of all to bear — even jokes or 
jeers would have been easier to endure; but the un- 
lucky thirteen were kept relentlessly at work until sun- 
down, when, ravenous and raging, they were lined up 
before the entire camp that they had served so assidu- 
ously during the day. Then for the first time dignity 
relaxed, and a grinning mob enjoyed the roll-call in 
which the boys had to respond to the fictitious names 
they had given earlier in the day. The responses were 
somewhat mixed as several of the prisoners had forgotten 
what names they had chosen. Afterwards, amid jeers 
and groans, they were treated to a lengthy harangue 
on the conduct befitting officers and privates in the 
service of the B. B. A.'' 

^‘And you may thank your lucky stars, my men,’^ 
the young officer ended patronizingly, ‘‘that you get off 
so easily. We might have shaved your pates and con- 
fiscated your clothes, you know. You are released on 
parole, now,’' he added loftily; “but see that you permit 
no repetition of this misdemeanor or it will be the guard- 
house for yours! Corporal! serve the rations! We can’t 
send even spies away hungry.” 

Whereupon a procession of cadets advanced, bearing 
tin plates on which reposed tiny portions of unbuttered 


70 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


bread, and tin cups containing about one swallow of 
water. 

After you have enjoyed our hospitality my men will 
wait in the background while you take your departure,'^ 
the officer assured them, with an unsoldierly grin; ‘^but 
these,’' pointing to a pair of powerful field glasses that 
hung on a strap over his shoulder, ^^will keep guard on 
your movements as long as supervision is necessary. 
Ta ta! my friends! Come again, when you can’t stay 
so long!” 

With that he turned on his heel amid shouts of 
derision from the campers. The boys, goaded beyond 
endurance, sent the plates they were holding crashing 
to the ground. They longed to pitch them at their tor- 
mentors, but refrained: the memory of their day was 
too fresh and restraining. Then they hurried to shake 
the dust of the inhospitable camp off their feet. 

‘^So that’s how they knew we were coming!” Carter 
exclaimed suddenly, breaking the silence that had lasted 
from the top of the hill almost to the foot. ‘^They must 
have been watching us from the start. That’s how they 
had time to plan the ambush.” 

^^Well, next year,” Sid announced with grim decision, 
^Ve’ll have field glasses when we go into camp if we 
have to do without bacon!” 

No one thought of walking home, they were too stiff 
and sore from their long round of unaccustomed work; 
but before they boarded the car it was agreed to refrain 
from all mention of the day’s occurrence. If any of the 
others asked about it, as they were pretty sure to do. 


A RAID AND ITS RESULTS 


71 


they were to be told that the thirteen had spent the 
day in the camp, and had been treated to rations before 
leaving, all of which was strictly true. As the camp 
guests’^ left the car at their various corners, not one of 
them jumped off; each descended as slowly and care- 
fully as ‘‘G. A. R.’’ veterans might have done. Their 
one day's camping had left a lasting impression! 


CHAPTER V 


A Blot Removed 

Mr. Carroll was late in reaching home that night. It 
seemed to the hungry boys that he would never come. 
Of course they might have eaten something beforehand, 
but they were too anxious to avoid embarrassing ques- 
tions regarding their day^s experiences, to take any 
unnecessary risks. 

Carter had asked the blessing at each meal ever since 
he was old enough to speak plainly. When only a small 
boy he used to say the grace with his eyes wide open in 
order to keep tab on the actions of the family; and once 
he had stopped abruptly to inform a guest that her con- 
duct was not what it should be. The lady was watching 
the folded hands and curly head of the small boy, instead 
of having her own head decorously bowed. 

^^Put your head down!^^ Carter had commanded in 
an earnest whisper. can^t say it if you don’t put 
your head down.” The lady obeyed meekly but her 
shaking shoulders showed that she found it hard to 
put her mind as well as her head into a proper 
attitude. 

When Mr. Carroll finally arrived and dinner was put 
on, Carter was so hungry that he raced through the 
blessing with much speed and little thought. As soon 


A BLOT REMOVED 


73 


as he finished, his father spoke to him very sternly on 
the subject. 

Don’t you realize that you are asking God’s blessing, 
my boy? If the words mean nothing to you, it is best 
to omit them altogether, or let either your mother or 
myself say grace in future. Now you may ask the bless- 
ing again, if you can say it in the proper spirit.” 

After that the two boys ate as though they had been 
marooned on a desert island without food of any kind. 
Minnie had made one of the stews of which both of them 
were so fond. The mere odor, as Mr. Carroll lifted the 
cover of the casserole, made their mouths water . An 
early breakfast, a hurried one, at that, and a day of 
hard, continuous labor, with no lunch at all, formed a 
combination that conduced to good appetite; but when 
their plates were passed over for a third helping, after 
the liberal portions which had gone before, Mr. Carroll 
raised his eyebrows inquiringly. 

^^’m delighted to see you enjoy the menu,” he as- 
sured them teasingly; ^^but hadn’t we better return 
this casserole, mother, and use the wash boiler in future? ” 
'‘Don’t tease them,” Mrs. Carroll commanded smil- 
ingly. "Better buy meat than medicine! Besides, 
Minnie tells me that they were not in for lunch at all. 
I was in town all day, myself. Why did n’t you come 
home, boys? Minnie had corn fritters all ready for you, 
and baked apples and cream. Where were you?” 

"We — we were — too far away,” Carter stammered 
confusedly, in answer to Sid’s warning wink. "We 
could n’t.” 


74 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^‘But it is n^t good for you to go all day without food/^ 
his mother persisted. ‘‘Why didn't you get some- 
thing where you were?" 

“We were not near anything — that is — " he stopped 
short, realizing that he was not adhering strictly to the 
truth. They had been near enouglj, — that was not the 
trouble. An embarrassing pause ensued, which Sid 
finally ended by a diplomatic explanation which failed 
to explain. 

“We could n't come home, you know, and we were n't 
where we could get at any food." 

“Except some bread," Carter added, at which they 
both smiled involuntarily. 

And after all, Company H found that it was not 
being as deeply defrauded as it had imagined. Only 
four companies were in camp, and those four were the 
oldest ones, both from the point of organization and of 
the ages of the members. They also learned that the 
gunboat trip upon which the thirteen had banked was 
scheduled for the same day the following week. The 
little mistake in the date had been an expensive one for 
them. 

“Shall we try it again?" Johnny asked intrepidly, 
when the boy who had made the mistake apologized for 
it. “They probably won't expect us next week." 

“Oh! forget it!" came the reply, as in one voice. 

But though the culprits were willing enough to “for- 
get it," they soon found that they were not to be allowed 
to do so. The account of the attempted raid had 
spread like wild-fire through some mysterious agency, not 


A BLOT REMOVED 


75 


through any betrayal on the part of the boys themselves. 
The whole thirteen had been, to a man, clam-like in re- 
gard to the entire episode. They had to endure a regular 
fusillade of taunts and jests at their expense. For the 
next few days they found it as difficult to elude their 
tormentors as they had to elude their captors at the camp. 

They were all anxious to cut the B. B.’’ on the 
following Thursday, but absence would look cowardly 
besides entailing embarrassing explanations in the home 
circle. And after all, it would only postpone the evil 
day a week longer, so they appeared as usual. The drill 
progressed finely. The orders had been read, and the 
raiders were just beginning to breathe freely with the 
feeling that they were safely '^out of the woods,^^ when 
the bomb burst. 

have received advices from Camp Lookout,'^ the 
captain began suddenly, ^Helling me of a raid upon the 
camp and the supplies — an attempted raid, I should say. 
The perpetrators gave assumed names when they were 
captured, but several of them were recognized as mem- 
bers of Company H. I cannot adequately express to 
you the deep chagrin with which I learned the details 
of this affair. The captain commanding the camp 
threatened public court-martial at first, but was finally 
convinced that the invading party meant only to play 
a joke and not to destroy camp property. 

fully intended to have the guilty ones court-mar- 
tialed here in our own company,'^ the captain went on, 
^‘but when I learned the result of the invasion, I — ” 

The grave reproof with which he began his arraign- 


76 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


ment had gradually relaxed until, at this point, he stopped 
short, unable to conceal his amusement. An instant 
later he went on more sternly, although his eyes were 
twinkling with mischief. 

^'As I was saying, when I learned the result of the 
invasion I decided that the culprits had paid pretty 
dearly for their joke. In future they will think twice, 
I feel sure, before they attempt to break down military 
discipline, even in a ‘U. B. B. A.' camp.^' 

A shout of derisive laughter greeted the close of the 
captain^s remarks. Some of the company who had heard 
of the affair without learning the names of the cadets 
concerned in it, looked from one to another inquiringly, 
while the guilty thirteen swallowed hard in their efforts 
at self-control, and stared at the floor so fixedly that 
they knew every crack in it by heart. They all felt, 
however, that the captain was dealing most leniently 
with them. 

‘‘And now for a matter that concerns this company 
much more closely,’’ the captain went on in grave tones. 
“I refer to the act of insubordination of last week, the 
sprinkling of the snuff, or whatever it was, on the floor. 
It was a disgraceful affair, unbecoming a soldier and a 
gentleman. As it is a first offense, the private or privates 
concerned may report to me at the close of the drill 
to-night.” 

There was dead silence in the room. 

“I will not ask for information which may lead to 
the detection of the guilty ones, should they fail to appear 
before me, because I know that you would refuse to give 


A BLOT REMOVED 


77 


it, and rightly, too. I don’t care to turn my company 
into a band of detectives, even to settle so grave a breach 
of discipline as that of last week. But I warn you, — ” 
he paused impressively while every eye was fixed intently 
upon him, warn you that this matter will be sifted 
to the bottom; that, in case of failure to confess and 
clear the innocent ones, the culprits, when discovered, 
need expect no mercy. It is a blot upon the company’s 
good record, and unless the mystery is finally cleared up. 
Company H will be dismissed for an indefinite period.” 

For an instant not a movement broke the silence of 
the room. The boyish faces looked troubled. Not to 
have their beloved drill nights! Not to wear their uni- 
forms, and march proudly past the less fortunate fellows 
on parade days, with a “ Lo ! the conquering hero comes ’ ’ 
air! They realized, suddenly, how much the B. B.” 
had come to mean to them even in so short a time, 
over and above the outward show, and shifted uneasily, 
each hoping that the other, whoever he was, would be 
man enough to ‘^face the music,” and by speaking up 
clear the good name of the company. The uncomfort- 
able pause which followed was broken in a most unex- 
pected manner. 

‘a did it!” 

The boys fairly jumped as they saw Johnny Porter 
step forward and salute his superior officer and knew 
that he must have been the speaker. He was a delicate, 
fair-haired, blue-eyed boy, very manly in spite of his 
somewhat effeminate appearance. All the boys respected 
as well as liked him. He was one of the youngest cadets 


78 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


in the company but nevertheless he was fully up in the 
manual of arms, and could compete with any of them 
in the correctness and precision of his drill. 

An involuntary from the company greeted his 

confession. 

^^Not YOU, Porter!’’ the captain exclaimed emphatic- 
ally. I cannot believe that you would do such a thing ! ’ ’ 

His unbounded astonishment was an unconscious com- 
pliment to the boy, and the rest appreciated it. 

“I didn’t!” came the contradictory statement. 

— I — my pocket did it!” 

The earnestness of the answer was so intense that not 
a boy smiled. 

^^It had a big hole in it,” Johnny went on bravely, 
^^and I did n’t know it.” 

^‘But what were you doing with snuff powder, my 
boy?” 

‘^It was n’t snuff powder,” the lad asserted positively. 
'^It — it was — ” 

^^Well?” 

'^Cayenne pepper!” the boy blurted out. ‘‘I bought 
it at the store before I came to the drill.” 

^‘Do you think that cayenne pepper is the proper 
thing to bring here?” Captain Truitt demanded sternly. 
He was disappointed and hurt that Johnny Porter, one 
of the best boys in the whole company, should fall so 
far short of his expectations. 

^^But I didn’t bring it here! I — I mean I didn’t 
purposely!” Johnny stammered in his eagerness to 
exonerate himself. had to go to the store for it be- 


A BLOT REMOVED 


79 


fore the drill, but I forgot to take it home again, because 
I thought we were late, and I wanted to see the camp- 
fire and — I guess the bag must have bust — broken, 
I mean, when we were tackling that spy/^ 

The explanation was given with such comical serious- 
ness that the boys fairly shouted with laughter in which, 
after a moment^s hesitation, both the captain and 
Johnny joined heartily. Their mirth, however, was one 
part amusement at Johnny^s expense, and one part 
relief on their own account. They felt that the cloud 
which had hung over their beloved company had sud- 
denly lifted. No more talk of disbanding or dismissal 
for an indefinite period! Johnny’s frank confession had 
dissipated all such danger. 

That ended the incident, and the evening which had 
promised to terminate so disastrously closed, instead, 
with one of the finest drills the company had ever given. 
Each member felt a glow of renewed allegiance, not only 
to his own company but to the whole organization. They 
all trooped out, after putting away their guns, chanting 
the touching little ‘‘pome”: 

“ Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis! Boom! Bah! 

Cayenne pepper! Rah! Rah! Rah!” 

It was not a noiseless performance, and one or two 
passersby, people who did not understand that “boys” 
and “noise” rhyme perfectly, shuddered as they listened. 
They did not understand either, that the vigorous Rah! 
Rah! Rahs! were escaping steam which saved the 
boilers from “busting!” as Johnny would have ex- 
pressed it. 


CHAPTER VI 


The Club's New Headquarters 

Carter's regular allowance was twenty-five cents a 
week. He was supposed to earn it by doing what he 
was asked to do in the way of errands or small tasks 
about the house, promptly and willingly. Sometimes 
he really did earn it, but not always. When spring 
opened, however, and the grass needed constant atten- 
tion, Mr. Carroll agreed to give him fifty cents a week 
on condition that the lawn was never allowed to become 
ragged or unkempt. 

^Shaven and shorn' is as good a description for grass 
as it is for men," his father told him. ‘^See that ours 
fits that description, my boy." 

Carter proved pretty faithful in his outdoor work. In 
addition, he was doing all the errands for his mother and 
Minnie with lamb-like willingness, because he wanted 
to earn enough to buy a tent. By the first of July he 
had saved a sum sufficient to purchase a small one; but 
it was to be a ^^sane Fourth" on the Island that year, 
with no fireworks except those set off by authorized 
clubs and organizations, so Mr. Carroll offered to add 
the money that usually went up in smoke to the tent 
fund, and get a good-sized one while they were about it. 
Carter accepted this offer joyfully. 


NEW HEADQUARTEES 


81 


The day the tent was expected the Carroll garden was 
black with boys. Not only the I. G.^s^' turned out 
in force, but friends and friends^ friends accompanied 
them; for by that time the fame of the expected arrival 
had spread. Likewise the size of the tent had increased, 
until it bade fair to rival Barnum’s show-tent itself. 

Carter rang up the express office several times, that 
morning, and when he was informed finally that a large 
package addressed to Mr. Lindsay C. Carroll had 
arrived, the I. G.^s^^ mounted their wheels and 
hurried to the office at the ferry. But their haste availed 
them not at all. The package was too bulky for them 
to manage, and the express driver stubbornly refused to 
alter his route to suit their impatience. 

‘4Ve got a load of trunks and heavy things this 
morning,^' he explained, “an^ I canT go up to the Avenue 
’til I git there. Now put that in yer pipes an’ smoke it!” 

So the boys were forced to wait with what patience 
they could muster, until their turn came. They accom- 
panied the wagon on its round, however, forming a squad 
of out-riders that both badgered and assisted the driver. 
At each stop the man simply had to indicate the parcel 
and the house. It was a case of ^Houching the button”: 
the boys did the rest. On the other hand, the poor fellow 
was questioned so often that he confessed himself more 
tired at the end of his trip than on days when he per- 
formed his deliveries unaided. Before they reached the 
I. G.” block he struck, and became absolutely mute, 
either nodding, shrugging his shoulders, or ignoring the 
questioners altogether. 


82 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


It proved to be a very large tent, even larger than 
they had hoped. The rest of the day was devoted to 
getting it up, and arranging the interior. The boys 
found it so fascinating, when completed, that several 
of them volunteered to stay all night and sleep in it, 
but Mrs. Carroll politely declined their offers. 

'Tt wonT run away, boys,^' she assured them smil- 
ingly; ‘‘and if any one tries to steal it we 41 surely hear 
them.’^ 

The next day they decided to inaugurate their new 
club headquarters by giving a show, feeling that the 
tent itself would prove a strong drawing card. They 
set to work with a will and decorated it with all the flags, 
banners, and pennants they could obtain, then hung 
long streamers of red, white, and blue paper from the 
fence and the clothes posts. A balloon man happened to 
pass while they were at work, and Mrs. Carroll donated 
towards the decorations, four bright red balloons. These 
added a finishing touch, as they tugged away at their 
fastenings on the top of the tent. Some highly colored 
circus posters, showing performing elephants, trapeze 
actors, bareback riders, and a diving horse, one and all 
in the act of doing impossible feats, were hung on the 
sides of the tent, and on the fence to give the correct 
circus touch to the picture. 

When all was finished the boys drove stakes in the 
ground some distance in front of the tent, and stretched 
a rope across, so that no one but the “S. I. G.^s^^ them- 
selves could get in. Then they held a business meeting 
to discuss the price of admission. 


NEW HEADQUARTERS 


83 


^^Let charge two cents/^ Johnny suggested mildly. 
“It ^s beach season, and money goes so fast!^^ 

“Not on your life!^’ Carter answered decisively. 
“It ^s beach season for us, too! Besides, we ^re putting 
lots of energy and time into this show. We ^re going 
to make it a real circus, before we get through with it. 
I say, ask ten cents! We need the money to buy a flag 
for the pole in front of the tent. What ’s a tent without 
a flag, I ’d like to know! Those flags are borrowed and 
have to go back by six o^clock. I promised positively.^^ 
“We really do need a flag,’^ Johnny commented 
thoughtfully. “If any of us should die, we ^d have to 
have something to put at half-mast. We might have 
use for it all of a sudden, too!^^ 

“That ’s so,^^ assented Arthur, in at the start for 
once. “That time I had appendicitis — you know, 
when I ate too many cherries — it began just like that!^^ 
He snapped his fingers to illustrate the speed with which 
his malady had come upon him. “But I can^t have it 
again, that ’s one thing sure, because I have nT any 
appendix now. Do you know, the doctor said that 
my case — 

“Yep! We know! Never was such a com-pli-cated 
one before!’’ Carter interrupted mockingly. “We’re 
up to circus now. Art. You can put your appendix in 
as one of the side-shows, though, if you want to. Which 
is it to be — two, five, or ten?” 

After much discussion the admission was fixed at five 
cents, a sum likely to come within the means of all. 
This was for those who were privileged to sit inside 


84 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


the tent; the less fortunate ones who would be obliged 
to sit on the grass near the tent flap were to pay only 
three cents. An advertisement to that effect had scarcely 
been tacked up on the front fence, before a note was 
passed over the line. It was from Chester Carpenter, 
one of the younger boys, and was written on a piece of 
manila paper, evidently torn from a bag, but it meant 
business, just the same. It was addressed to Carter. 

“I just bought a bag of gum-drops so I canH get 
another nickel, or three cents either, today. Don’t you 
remember the time I picked all those burrs off Dixie 
Doodle? They were stuck in awful tight. Can’t I 
come in free if I try to get all the boys I can think of 
to come? I ’ll give you my gum-drops, too. I only ate 
one.” 

Carter read the note to the rest of the boys, and the 
committee decided that the case called for leniency. 
Besides, they all liked gum-drops. 

'‘Come over here, Ches,” Carter called to the anxious 
watcher beyond the line. "It’s all right, but I guess 
we ’d better take the gum-drops now; you might forget 
to bring them this afternoon. We ’d rather have the 
money, you know. Now that we ’re a regular club 
we ’ll have to have a treasury. But it don’t matter 
this once.” 

"Here they are,” Chester responded promptly. "I ’ll 
tell all the boys I can.” 

He handed over the bag as he spoke, but just then 
some one happened to jerk the rope against it and it 
crashed to the ground, sending its contents flying out 


NEW HEADQUARTERS 


85 


on to the grass. Quick as a flash Dixie Doodle flew after 
them, and before Carter could reach him, had taken 
possession of two large ones, which be began chewing 
with evident enjoyment. A moment later he was danc- 
ing about wildly. 

“What^s the matter with Dix?’^ Sid inquired anx- 
iously. Think he ’s going to have a fit?^' 

‘^Fit nothing! Carter answered. ‘^He ’s got the gum- 
drops he hooked stuck in his back teeth, that 's all. 
Whew! Just see that!^^ 

Dixie was dancing a lively jig on his hind legs, his 
front paws being in use at the time as toothpicks. The 
boys laughed aloud, the small dog looked so comical, 
but suddenly Carter jerked him into the tent. 

“That ^11 do for one of the acts,’’ he explained eagerly. 
“We’ll call him the ‘Dancing Dervish Dog’!” 

This reminded the boys that while tent, decorations, 
and admission had all been settled, the show itself, with 
the exception of this one act, was still unprovided, and 
a whole menagerie had to be captured before two o’clock; 
so they went into executive session within the tent while 
a corps of unsolicited advisers hung along the rope, and 
offered suggestions that were more or less feasible. 

The number of performers that had volunteered would 
have done credit to the Hippodrome caste itself. But out- 
side talent had been refused: it was to be an “S. I. G.” 
show. All the members were willing to take part: too 
willing in fact; and Carter, as manager, had hard work 
settling the disputes that ensued. Five of the boys 
struck because each wanted to be the clown, and during 


86 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


the practice, later, when Carter used his long riding whip 
a little too freely, a sixth member of the company joined 
the strikers. This was Dixie Doodle. He retired to 
sulk it out beneath the front piazza. The space was 
too small to admit even a small boy, so he was out of 
reach. It was only after much coaxing and a bit of per- 
suasion in the way of some soup meat begged for the 
purpose, from Minnie, that the dancing dog consented 
to declare his part of the strike off. The other strikers 
were already arbitrating. 

The whip which caused the mischief had been loaned 
by Jim, the grocery-man. Dressed in his father^s velvet 
smoking jacket, high rubber boots, and carrying the 
whip. Carter felt that his appearance as ring-master 
left nothing to be desired. After all, it was not his ap- 
pearance, but his actions, to which the striking dancer 
objected. That business-like snap of the whip^s long 
lash sounded better than it felt as it curled about his 
slender legs. 

Never mind, old fellow,'^ his master coaxed, holding 
the meat as close to the dog as he could reach. ^^Come 
on and play ball, boy! I won't use the old whip again, 
honestly I won't! Come on, now!" And Dixie came, 
while the other strikers compromised by arranging for 
five clowns. 

The menagerie presented many difficulties. The 
stuffed wild-cat, the chipmunk, the beaver, and one or 
two birds that belonged to the school museum, and 
were being stored in mothballs in the Carroll attic, were 
secured on condition that they would be handled with 


NEW HEADQUARTERS 


87 


care, and returned to their storage as soon as the show 
was over. A great moosehead with splendid antlers 
was cunningly arranged under a tepee of table covers, 
the head alone showing at the entrance. A little imag- 
ination easily added the rest of the body. 

Mrs. Harper donated her great striped cat for the 
tiger. The cat^s name was Fairy, and a very substantial 
fairy she looked. The lady also lent her cage of canaries, 
and her poll-parrot on its stand, while Arthur Boynton 
carried over his collection of turtles, frogs, and lizards, 
and Carter brought out his mice, one pure white and 
one pale tan in color. Johnny contributed his guinea 
pigs. They were put in an enclosure at the back of the 
tent, in which the boys arranged little mounds of earth 
with a hole in each mound, to represent a prairie dog 
village. Mrs. Porter called up and generously offered 
to present the guinea pigs to the I. G.^s.^^ Mrs. 
Carroll refused the gift politely, but firmly, offering 
instead to send Carter's two mice over to Porter's if 
the lady wished to have them for Johnny's amusement. 

Altogether the collection made a pretty good men- 
agerie, but the boys felt the need of more large animals. 
They were racking their brains in the effort to think of 
something else, when Mrs. Harper called Carter over 
and talked to him from the window. A moment later 
he whistled for Dixie and the two disappeared into the 
house. 

Mrs. Harper had been watching the circus prepa- 
rations all morning. It was one of her bad days when 
she was unable to walk at all, but she seemed to enjoy 


88 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


the fun in spite of her pain. Her boy would have been 
just Carter^s age, had he lived, and in all the boys' 
frolics she seemed to see her own dear lad. She had 
come to feel that anything she did for their pleasure 
was also for his. 

When she learned of their difficulty a bright idea 
occurred to her. She sent her maid up to the attic for 
an old, fur-lined driving-coat of Mr. Harper's. Ripping 
out the limng she fashioned from it a big, shaggy, fur 
coat which she pinned about Dixie's neck and beneath 
his body, with large safety pins, so that when Carter re- 
joined the circus troupe, Dixie Doodle had disappeared 
and a shaggy-looking lion had taken his place. It was 
a pretty hot day to play lion, but the small dog did not 
seem to object. 

Arthur Boynton was the only one who had been to 
the circus that spring, as it happened, and all the time 
the preparations were going on he kept up a grumb- 
ling obligato that was simply maddening to the 
rest. 

‘^That is n't the way Barnum does it!" “They don't 
do that in the real circus!" “I'll show you how to 
fix it!" greeted every move until the boys grew tired of 
hearing him, and told him frankly that if he would let 
Barnum manage his circus they felt quite capable of 
managing theirs. 

“Look here, you old growler!" Carter burst forth at 
last, all patience exhausted; “if you don't like the way 
this show 's being managed you can take your turtles 
and go home." 


NEW HEADQUARTERS 


89 


But Arthur preferred to stay, so he wisely kept his 
criticisms to himself. 

Fortune favored the boys that afternoon. Just before 
the time for the opening of the circus, Paula, the organ 
grinder came along. He was a little, wrinkled old man, 
and his monkey was little, wrinkled, and old, too. Mr. 
Carroll prophesied that some day they would both get 
so dried up that they would blow away. The monkey^s 
name was Peek-a-Boo, and the old man petted it like 
a baby. 

Paula was one of Mrs. Carrolks ^^prize-packages,’’ 
as her husband teasingly termed her proteges. She felt 
sorry for the poor old fellow and often treated him to 
a good meal. In return he kept for their house the 
wheeziest tunes in his whole repertory, tunes that were 
composed on the Ark and had been in active service 
ever since, at least so Mr. Carroll insisted. 

On the day of the circus she offered him a quarter 
if he would lend Peek-a-Boo and the organ to the boys, 
while he rested and ate his lunch. 

^^Not hurta da babee?” Paula inquired anxiously, 
patting the ugly little head with loving touch, while the 
babee” crept closer into his arms and surveyed the 
crowd of boys with his bright little eyes. 

'^No, indeed!” Carter assured him. ‘‘We wouldn’t 
hurt the little fellow for the world!” 

That seemed to satisfy the old man, especially as he 
saw that Peek-a-Boo, after being fed, willingly accom- 
panied the boys, leaving his master to dispose of the 
lunch which Minnie spread before him. “I taka da 


90 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. G/S 


eats!^^ the old fellow remarked complacently, lika 
da lady, too!” 

Later he told Minnie that the Carrolls^ was the only 
place he ever got a square meal. Minnie was not 
quite sure what a square meal was, but she would not 
confess it. 


CHAPTER VII 


The 1. Show 

Promptly at two o^clock Carter brought out his big 
drum, mounted a soap box near the front gate and 
played a tattoo with might and main ^‘to draw the 
crowd/' It seemed to Mrs. Carroll that the crowd was 
already drawn, as both sidewalk and street were filled 
with boys. Many of them had camped out on the 
curb since early morning, generously giving advice and 
suggestions whenever opportunity offered. 

‘‘Ladies and Gentlemen!" Carter began in stentorian 
tones when his mother opened the window and motioned 
for the drumming to cease. “Come one! Come all! 
and see the greatest circus in the world. Anyhow, it 's 
the greatest on Staten Island. See the marvellous ag- 
gregation of animals! See the rare birds, the prairie 
dog village, the carnivora and the omnivora! Within 
awaits the rabid tiger and the ferocious man-eating 
lion from the jungle — " 

Just at this point Dixie espied one of his special friends 
among the crowd at the gate, and forgetting his un- 
tamable wildness, he advanced with tail wagging in 
friendly fashion. 

“Hey, there, you fellows!" Carter shouted fiercely; 
“can't you keep him inside? What 's the use of giving 


92 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


a show if they see it all beforehand. Get back there, 
Dix! Go on!'^ Then he went on with his business as a 
barker. 

^^You may behold the Dancing Dervish Dog, the 
Trick Bicycle Rider, the Roller Skate Expert, and the 
Balancing Pole Act. See the intrepid Bareback Rider, 
and the Educated Monkey captured in the wilds of — 
of — well, captured, anyway. All these attractions 
under one huge canvas, and for the insignificant sum 
of one nickel; just five cents, ladies and gentlemen! 
Think of it! The Grand March alone is worth the price 
of admission!’’ 

But after all, the show was not under one canvas: 
it was not under any canvas at all; because the boys 
soon found that the tent would not hold all the audience, 
to say nothing of the actors and the menagerie. So 
the latter were placed in quarters near the side fence, 
while the acts were performed on the grass in front of 
the tent. No one was sorry for the change, however, 
because it permitted Mrs. Harper to see everything, 
and also gave that privilege to a crowd of poor young- 
sters from the back street who had hung about, penniless, 
but eager, all morning. Besides, it was hardly fair to 
expect boys to sit outside when they had paid good 
money to sit in a tent: it would be asking too much. 

There was some delay at first, because all the actors 
wanted to grind the organ and show off the monkey’s 
tricks, but Carter settled the difficulty by sending Sid 
in for the kitchen clock. Minnie was chatting away 
with old Paula, and did not notice what he was after. 



“The lion had to lead the inarch alone, with Ring Master Carroll 
holding his chain.” Page 93. 



1 .-. • ’ 


VT. - 




• :i^ 


i . 


0 » 




Jk v 


■ >•, 


.SN ^ i 


J*. '• 


T: i 


•v.* 




f- .;,S/'* 


-.v - •• ' y 


•> 


■ 




-.A* .; * 




I • 

». 


» . 


v • 


• i 


* I 




I 


• • 7 


. > 


./ V-' 

^ i\ A 








•■•% . I 


I > A 

■'i 

«. /» « 


. f 


■> r 

V ' V-; 

• *■ ■* 


» • ' * 


« J « ■ ' • -♦€ 


'1 


*3 - 


- V* 


• t 


■■'C, 



1 

t •> 



I 







O'i y u* • 

• bT • ‘ ♦ ^ ■ 

.T . . ^ i V • 


^<*•1 ^ " .-.•:. 
b*5' 


• 2 . 


;':-4’‘-;av •■; '■^1 

\ M . * iJ •• .. ^ ^ 


- r 


N. 


"Ss '"•I-* ; 

•• I ' ■ ^ r< 


' . * .1 


.» 


f 



-n->;t V 


THE 1. SHOW 


93 


or there would have been trouble. But when the clock 
was put in a conspicuous place on the fence, each mem- 
ber was allowed to take charge of the ^^band” for five 
minutes. There was not the slightest chance of any 
one securing overtime, because the conductor whose 
turn came next usually tagged after the musician during 
the last minute, to be on hand promptly. 

The Grand March was not altogether a success. The 
lion and the tiger were to head the procession. Fairy, 
the cat, knew Dixie well and was always friendly with 
him, but she was not acquainted with the great shaggy 
creature that advanced towards her that day, and, 
moreover, she refused to become acquainted with him. 
All his friendly overtures were greeted with hissing and 
spitting, while her hair stood straight on her upraised 
back in uncontrolled fury, making her look more like a 
porcupine than a ‘^nice old pussy.’’ All efforts to pacify 
her proved unavailing, so the lion had to lead the march 
alone, with Ring Master Carroll holding his chain. 

Next came the clowns, five in all, dressed in huge 
paper caps and big collars. Their faces were painted in 
grotesque fashion and their ridiculous antics at once 
put the audience into good humor. Arthur followed 
them, dragging his Flyer loaded with the frogs, mice, 
lizards, and turtles. During the march one of the latter 
fell off and lay sprawling on the ground, its short little 
legs kicking about comically. It was too much for Dixie. 
He broke away from Carter and pla 3 ffully slapped the 
turtle over with his paw, turning his head from one 
side to the other inquisitively, as he did so. He did not 


94 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G.’S 


hurt the turtle in the least, and all the rest laughed, but 
Arthur flared up indignantly. 

Just make your dog keep his old paws off my turtles,’' 
he growled, ^^or I '11 go home.” 

^'My dog’s paws are not old, Mr. Boynton,” Carter 
answered with dignified ceremony. you are not 

satisfied with the show, you may go where you please, 
when you please, and as soon as you please. The sooner 
the better,” he muttered angrily. 

Between a quarrelsome cat and an equally quarrel- 
some boy it began to look as though the Great Staten 
Island Circus and Menagerie” would go to pieces then 
and there, but just at that critical moment Peek-a-Boo 
created a diversion by jumping up on Dixie’s back. At 
first the small dog resented such treatment, but a few 
pats from his master served to quiet his uneasiness, and 
this unexpected addition to the program proved to be 
a great hit. 

Sid, as trick bicycler, did some pretty good stunts, but 
ended by falling upon his head when trying to stand 
on his handle-bars, and raising a mountainous bump 
on his forehead. He pretended that it did not hurt, 
however, because he was unwilling to tear himself away 
from the show long enough for Mrs. Carroll to treat 
the swelling with witch hazel or arnica. Arthur’s fancy 
skating was really fine. His uncle had sent him a splen- 
did pair of ball-bearing steel skates and he had become 
quite expert in their use. Several other boys did pole 
balancing acts on the fence, jumped over bars, or turned 
somersaults. Dixie’s dance was an unusually lively 


THE L SHOW 


95 


one. It cost the club treasury four large gum-drops 
before it was finished, but it proved to be one of the 
most popular acts on the bill. 

But after all, it was the youngest club member who 
made the hit of the afternoon, both literally and figur- 
atively. This was Johnny in his Daring Bareback Rid- 
ing Act. The Dentons, neighbors of the Carrolls, were 
people who had lived for several years in Mexico. They 
owned a burro, and at Carter^s earnest request they had 
consented to loan the little animal for show purposes. 

“We ^11 watch out for him, Mrs. Denton,^' he reassured 
her earnestly. 

“Watch out for yourselves, Car,’^ Mrs. Denton cau- 
tioned. “He’s a tricky little beast! That’s why we 
named him the 'Imp.’ He’s not vicious, though, but 
just full of mischief.” 

Immediately this good fortune became known there 
was a stampede of volunteers to do the Equestrian Act, 
but Carter’s next words quelled the riot. 

“Whoever does it has to wear tightSj remember,” he 
announced positively. 

At this there was a perceptible abating of the first 
enthusiasm. One after another not only withdrew his 
request, but positively refused to take the act. Even 
the sight of the Imp himself, tethered at the back of 
the tent, calmly grazing on all the grass within reach 
was not incentive enough. The boys thought nothing 
of appearing on the running track at the field in proper 
attire, and their swimming suits were nothing if not 
abbreviated, but the idea of this trouserless act seemed 


96 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


different, somehow or other. Finally the youngest 
member sprang into the breach rather than see the star 
number of the program abandoned altogether. 

^^1^11 do it, but I don’t want to,” he said plaintively. 
‘^And I haven’t any tights, either,” he added, hoping 
that he was presenting an insurmountable difficulty. 

Underdrawers will do,” was the concise reply. 

By the time the '^Greatest Equestrian Feat of the 
Age” — the feat that had caused the crowned heads of 
Europe to ^^sit up and take notice” — was announced, 
Johnny had entered into the spirit of the thing. His 
underwear had become fleshlings (they were the proper 
color, fortunately) and a gayly spangled scarf of Mrs. 
Carroll’s that was stretched across his chest from right 
shoulder to left hip, then wound about his waist, gave 
the proper finishing touch to his costume. He both 
looked and acted the part to perfection as he dashed 
into the middle of the ring, shook off the large bath 
slippers he was wearing, and rubbed the soles of his 
gymnasium shoes carefully upon the box of ground 
chalk at the side, then, with many bows and gestures 
of greeting, mounted his prancing steed and prepared 
to do some fancy riding. Unfortunately the steed stood 
stolid at first, absolutely refusing to prance. He was 
finally induced to amble along at a snail’s pace, in quest 
of a bunch of carrots that was dangled tantalizingly just 
in front of his nose, while his rider stood first on one 
foot and then on the other on his broad back; turned a 
somersault into the ring, and remounted with a dash 
that smacked of the real circus. A few moments later, 


THE ‘‘S. L SHOW 


97 


however, the Imp suddenly threw off his stolidity and 
began to enter into the spirit of the show himself. With- 
out warning he set off at a furious pace straight towards 
the front fence, almost throwing his rider to the ground. 
At this unexpected turn, Johnny was divided between 
elation and uncertainty. He had seen the hunters ride 
at the County Fair, and he felt again the thrill he 
always experienced as he watched them rise gracefully 
over brush and bars. Setting his teeth he prepared to 
make the best of it and go over in fine style. 

He did, but the Imp remained behind. He evidently 
changed his mind at the last minute, or else he realized 
that the grass he was leaving was far superior to that in 
the street. At all events he planted his little front feet 
stubbornly together, and Johnny landed on the other 
side with a thud. Fortunately he struck a place where 
there was plenty of grass to break his fall. The boy was 
^'game’’ ; in an instant he was on his feet bowing grace- 
fully right and left, in such an unembarrassed manner 
that the jeers became cheers, and even the I. G.’s’^ 
themselves thought that he intended to do just what 
he had done. This act called forth the wildest applause 
of the afternoon. The daring bareback rider kept pretty 
quiet for the rest of the afternoon, but no one noticed 
it, and he was too plucky to complain. 

That ended the program and the audience scattered, 
after a rousing three times three for the ‘'Great Staten 
Island Circus and Menagerie.^' 

The “S. I. G.’s^^ were about to follow suit, as they 
were all tired after their day of hard work, but they 


98 THE CAPTAIN OF THE ‘‘S. 1. 


remembered that they had to return borrowed articles, 
and put the tent in order, so they waited about, talking 
the affair over among themselves, while the others were 
getting away. Then they set to work and soon had 
everything shipshape. As they were tumbling out of 
the tent, Mrs. Harper raised her window again, and 
motioned to them. Sid ran over to see what she wanted. 

^^IVe had a reserved seat, Sid,’' she said smilingly, 
^^and I’ve enjoyed the circus ever so much. You all 
deserve credit: it was well managed and the acts were 
really fine.” 

Sid straightened up proudly. He knew that Mrs. 
Harper meant every word she said. That was her 
charm for the boys, — her sincere interest in them and 
her appreciation of their efforts. It was not just ‘Halkee 
talkee!” as the boys called some of the complimentary 
speeches they received. 

‘^Johnny wasn’t hurt, was he?” she asked anxiously. 

Sid pointed across the street where Johnny, still in 
his circus tights because he had forgotten to change, 
was laughing heartily at some joke of Carter’s. He did 
not know that several black and blue spots remained 
as evidence of the boy’s daring equestrian feat!” 

“I want to pay for my ticket,” Mrs. Harper went on 
mischievously. ^'Tell the boys to wait a moment.” 

Sid needed no second bidding. 

‘^Sit down! Sit down!” he shouted, as he crossed the 
street, followed a few moments later by Mrs. Harper’s 
maid carrying a tray filled with glasses, and a large glass 
pitcher of ice-cold lemonade. Some fresh strawberry 


THE L SHOW 


99 


juice had been added to the mixture to give it the proper 
circus tint. Carter came next, the basket in his hand 
piled up with small paper bags, one of which he handed 
to each boy while the maid was passing the lemonade, 
putting several straws into each glass after she had 
filled it. 

It was the genuine circus combination, red lemonade, 
straws, and peanuts. Mrs. Harper had thoughtfully 
telephoned to her husband that morning, and he had 
sent his office boy all the way home with the peanuts 
just for this special treat for the boys. But then Mrs. 
Harper was always thoughtful. Perhaps the fun the 
I. G.^s^' had over the unexpected feast repaid her. 

Carter made the boys wait a moment before they 
started to eat, while he laid down the law to them. 

have to rake this lawn,^^ he announced grimly, 
‘^and it isnT much fun, either, let me tell you; so if 
any one puts a single peanut shell on my grass, Til 
settle him.^’ 

Evidently no one of the audience cared to be '^set- 
tled’’ because they all obeyed implicitly by stuffing the 
shells into their pockets. All but one, that is; Johnny 
forgot that he was still in his circus costume, and began 
stowing his shells down inside his belt, but stopped 
suddenly with an “Ouch!^' of dismay as their sharp 
edges scratched his legs. Out of consideration for his 
untrousered condition he was provided with an empty 
candy box. 

When Carter and Sid went over to Mrs. Grant’s, the 
English neighbor of the Carrolls, to return the two large 


100 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


flags, the lady good-naturedly asked about the show. 
They gave her an enthusiastic description and ended 
by thanking her for the flags. 

‘‘We^re going to get one of our own for the tent, as 
soon as we can raise enough money,^' Carter explained. 
‘‘It doesn^t seem like real club headquarters unless we 
have a flag flying. 

They stopped for a few moments on their way back to 
talk “circus.’^ When they reached home they were sur- 
prised to see a large flag again floating over the tent. 

“ Where ’d that flag come from, mother?^’ Carter 
shouted up to the window, eagerly. 

“ ‘Mrs. Grant takes pleasure in presenting this flag 
to the club,^ ” Mrs. Carroll read from the sheet of note 
paper in her hand, “ ‘with her compliments.^ You 
know she found two American flags in the house when 
she bought it,’^ Mrs. Carroll explained, “and she says 
that for a loyal subject of the king that^s one too many, 
so you are welcome to one of them.’’ 

“Gee! isn’t that dandy?” Carter danced about in 
his delight. 

“It certainly is!” his mother replied emphatically. 
“It’s a beautiful flag. You’ll appreciate the gift more 
when you come to price one like it,” she added sig- 
nificantly. 

The next day a special meeting of the “S. I. G.’s” 
was called to receive Mrs. Grant’s generous gift and 
acknowledge it properly. The note of thanks they 
dispatched later by Johnny was a joint effort, and was 
filled with genuine appreciation of the lady’s kindness, 


THE I. SHOW 


101 


even though it was worded somewhat stiffly. The gift 
meant so much to them that it seemed to demand a 
formal document: besides they all stood in awe of the 
stately Englishwoman. 

“We, the 'S. I. G.*s\ do hereby gratefully receive and 
acknowledge one American flag presented to the club by 
Mrs. Charles R. Grant. 

Nine boyish signatures followed. Then the paper 
was carefully folded and sealed with a great splash of 
red sealing wax which Carter begged from Minnie for 
the purpose, so that the finished document presented a 
truly imposing appearance. But Carter had slipped a 
little note inside on which was scrawled: 

“ Thank you ever so much for the flag. It ^s a splendid 
one, and all the ‘ S. I. G.^s ’ are mighty glad to have it. 

“ Your friend, 

“Lindsay C. Carroll, Captain.” 


CHAPTER VIII 


When is a Tent not a Tent ? 

Sid had been unanimously chosen as treasurer of the 
‘‘S. I. G/s” when the club was first organized. 

‘'Guess I won^t be overworked/' he remarked with a 
smile, as he accepted the oflSce. 

“It'll help you in your addition," Carter reminded 
him with mock gravity. “You'll probably become a 
lightning calculator, or at least an adder!" 

“A subtracter, you mean," Sid corrected him. “I'll 
be an expert in handling minus quantities. ‘A ' in algebra 
for me from now on! Shall I use a pill-box for the club 
funds, until I can deposit them in the bank? Or do you 
suppose we will need a cocoa-tin?" 

“Funny, I don't think!" Carter commented sarcas- 
tically. “Just wait! We'll have some club money 
some day, you see if we don't." 

Carter's prophecy came true sooner than he himself 
expected. When the treasurer counted up the gate 
receipts at the close of the circus he found that his box 
held exactly two dollars and forty cents. Now that the 
flag was provided, the burning question before the club 
was the disposal of the funds. Several suggestions were 
made and negatived, among them a club picnic and a 
beach party, but there were objections to all the plans. 


A TENT NOT A TENT? 


103 


Finally Arthur brought up the rear guard as usual, and, 
as usual, his suggestion was sensible. 

‘‘But we donT have to spend the money at alV’ he 
began in that positive way of his which seemed to make 
the boys want to oppose him even while they approved 
of his ideas. “ What^s the use of using it for something 
we don^t care particularly about when by and by we 
may have plenty of things that we do care about to use 
it for?^' 

A moment^s silence greeted Arthur^s words. This 
view of the case had really never occurred to them. It 
was so novel that it called for deep consideration. After 
an interval of argument pro and con, the suggestion was 
adopted, and the “S. I. G.^s^' left the conclave with 
the feeling of real club men, with club funds, club head- 
quarters, and prospects of plenty of good times ahead 
of them. 

The show was simply the first of these. Each morn- 
ing the nine began to gather in the Carroll garden long 
before the family finished breakfast. They usually 
remained until they were summoned by telephone, or 
verbal messages. 

“Would n^t it be easier for the boys to bring their 
trunks, Car?^' Mrs. Carroll asked jokingly, although her 
face was grave. It must be such a nuisance for them 
to go all the way home just to eat and sleep.^^ 

“I warned you, my lady,^^ Mr. Carroll reminded her. 
“A tent is the best of bait. Besides, in my humble 
opinion, the mistress of the house herself is a pretty 
good drawing-card.^^ 


104 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Mrs. Carroll blushed like a girl and dropped the 
subject. She did not want him to learn how good a 
drawing-card she had been, because she knew that he 
would tease her. During the first days of vacation she 
had told Carter to feel free to invite his friends in for 
lunch once in a while. She realized that an only child 
is deprived of much in the way of home-companion- 
ship that other children get from brothers and sisters, 
and she tried to take this way of making home more 
pleasant for her boy. Theoretically it was a beautiful 
way, but when put into practice it displayed unexpected 
disadvantages. The first day, Johnny shared the Car- 
rolls’ hospitality, and the three boys had a jolly time. 
The second day two boys volunteered to forego the 
pleasures of their home tables, and partake of the Car- 
rolls’ luncheon. The third day when Carter entered 
the dining-room, six boys trailed joyfully after him, six 
hungry boys, so hungry that poor Minnie was forced to 
draw upon dinner supplies to satisfy their hearty, 
boyish appetites. 

That was the end of Mrs. Carroll’s attempt at unlimited 
hospitality in the true southern style. On the following 
day, several volunteers had their hopes rudely shattered 
by Carter’s curt explanation. 

^‘Nothing doing! Minnie kicked, and mother says 
everybody ’s got to eat at home after this.” 

That settled it. But the tent was really the center of 
attraction, because it was large enough for all sorts of 
things. For a time it was a pirate’s cave, and a black 
flag, marked with a terrifying skull and cross-bones in 


A TENT NOT A TENT? 


105 


white, flaunted its fierce message from the tent pole. 
The boys would rush in from a raid loaded with booty, 
and eluding capture by almost superhuman effort, they 
would fly to their cave and fasten the entrance (clev- 
erly hidden by masses of rocks and brush) securely 
against all pursuers. But the mysterious disappearance 
of various articles, and a series of vigorous complaints, 
accompanied by still more vigorous threats from the 
neighbors, worked a reforming influence on the piratical 
crew. Their excuse that the articles were to be returned 
later failed to appease people who wanted lawn-mower 
and hose, potted plants or wearing apparel just when 
they wanted them: so the pirates once more became 
law abiding citizens in embryo. 

Next the tent was converted into a wigwam by the 
addition of pictures on its sides and a totem pole in 
front. The I. G.^s^’ became Indian braves with 
fringed trousers and towering feathered head-dresses. 
Several roosters in the immediate neighborhood appeared 
at that time all shaven and shorn, at least as far as their 
handsome tail feathers were concerned, but some sacri- 
fice had to be made for the sake of historical accuracy 
of costume. One or two of Ernest Thompson Seton’s 
books were much bethumbed as the club industriously 
pored over his descriptions. 

It was during this time that the Grant twins, Ida and 
Iva, involuntarily joined in the play. It was really due 
to their coaxing that their mother had presented the 
flag. They were pretty, rosy-cheeked English girls, just 
Carter^s age. As is sometimes the case with twins. 


106 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


they were as different as could be, both in appearance 
and in character. Ida was a handsome girl, slender, tall 
and dark, with flashing black eyes, a firm chin, and a 
commanding manner, while Iva was a roly-poly little 
blue-eyed, yellow-haired, dimpled-face lassie, who asked 
instead of commanding, and who always got what she 
wanted, because people seemed to enjoy doing things 
for her, she was so grateful and pleased and happy over 
everything. Both the ‘^I^s^’ as the boys called them, 
were athletic, fond of rowing and skating, golf and 
tennis, riding and bicycling, and both were excellent 
swimmers, too, yet, as Minnie often said: They 're 
perfect little ladies just the same!" The perfect little 
ladies" were great favorites with the boys. 

One day while the I. G.'s " were deep in woodcraft 
and Indian lore, the ^‘I's" were sent on an errand to 
Mrs. Carroll, and to save the time required to go around 
the block, they put a ladder up to their hedge and 
climbed over on to the fence which separated the Grant 
garden from the Carrolls'. They marched past the wig- 
wam, arm-in-arm, surveying it curiously as they did so. 
Unfortunately the braves caught sight of the white 
maidens" and at once laid plans to capture them on 
their return. They retired within the wigwam and 
crouching down, covered themselves with blankets when 
they heard the girls approaching. 

‘^Come on, let's peep in!" Ida urged eagerly. 

‘^I'm afraid," Iva responded with a little shiver. 
^^They might jump out at us." 

^^No, they won't!" was the positive assurance. 


A TENT NOT A TENT? 


107 


^^They Ve gone away. I want to see the wigwam. The 
tent made a splendid cave. I examined it thoroughly 
that day the boys went over to the Natural History 
Museum. 

^^You did, did you?’’ Carter whispered within, laugh- 
ingly. Maybe you won’t be as thorough this time, my 
lady.” 

Iva still hung back, but Ida advanced stealthily, and 
lifting the flap which had been dropped peeped cau- 
tiously into the dark interior. 

''Come on, Iva,” she shouted. "They’re gone, and 
they’ll never know the difference. Oh! is n’t this slick, 
as Car says?” 

Iva followed, and the two girls entered the tent to- 
gether, only to be greeted by an ear-splitting war-whoop 
as they were surrounded by upspringing braves. They 
laughed at first, then they pleaded, but all to no purpose. 
The braves, deaf to all appeal, proceeded to tie them 
securely before they retired outside the tent to hold a 
pow-wow and decide the fate of their captives. By this 
time both girls were crying: Ida’s were tears of rage, 
and Iva’s of woe. They could not help hearing the pow- 
wow outside. Some of the braves advocated setting the 
maidens free, and Ida made a mental note of the voices 
of those that took this stand. Others stood for burning 
them at the stake, or making them run the gauntlet. 

The twins had already been to the kitchen to ask for 
the eggs that Mrs. Grant needed for her cake-baking 
that morning, so when an impatient message was tele- 
phoned over to send the girls home immediately, Minnie 


108 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L G/S’’ 


hurried into the garden to speak to them. As she saw 
the circle of braves in council, and the tightly tied flap, 
she remembered the curiosity the girls had displayed 
in the kitchen regarding the Indian encampment, and 
grew suspicious. Minnie had not lived with Carter 
for years without learning something! She knew better 
than to ask him about the girls. Walking carelessly by 
as though intent only on her quest for stray clothespins, 
she caught enough of the argument to understand what 
had happened. 

Quietly slipping towards the back of the tent she crept 
under the canvas, motioning. Anger on lip, for the 
captives to keep quiet while she deftly unfastened their 
bonds. A moment later three forms wriggled beneath 
the canvas, and slipping from one sheltering bush to 
another gained the haven of the kitchen just as the braves 
outside the tent decided to make their prisoners run the 
gauntlet even though one or two still stolidly advocated 
burning at the stake, and one, Johnny the tender- 
hearted, pleaded for freedom for them. But the majority 
ruled. The braves threw back the tent flap and stalked 
in after their cowering captives only to find the cage 
empty: the birds had flown away! 

This episode resulted in the extermination of that 
particular tribe of Indians, however. Mrs. Grant, 
angry at the delay which proved disastrous to her day^s 
baking, questioned the tardy messengers closely. By 
the time they reached home the girls had recovered from 
their wrath. It is much easier to see a joke after it is 
over, especially when one has successfully fooled the 


A TENT NOT A TENT? 


109 


jokers, so the “white maidens’’ tried hard to protect 
the culprits, but, though in no way related to George 
Washington, or his English prototype, they could not 
tell a lie, and their mother finally wrung from them, 
bit by bit, the story of their capture. 

A tart little note from Mrs. Grant settled the matter: 
she had had no time to recover from her wrath. A “sad” 
cake confronted her and helped to keep it blazing. After 
that the Indians disappeared from their customary 
haunts, probably to their Happy Hunting Grounds. At 
all events they were seen no more on Staten Island. 
The ugly wooden images were removed from the tent 
pole, which once more fiew the “Stars and Stripes,” 
while the wigwam was metamorphosed into a fort for 
Uncle Sam’s protection. 

Squads of soldiers clad in their “U. B. B. A.” summer 
suits of khaki, drilled assiduously before the general’s 
headquarters. They carried the discarded wooden guns 
of company H, because their request for their real guns 
had been refused. Dispatch messengers, dust-covered 
but eager, came and went with alarming frequency. 
Carter as sentry, marched back and forth with such 
tireless energy that even good-natured Minnie remarked 
sarcastically: “Yes, an’ if he had to take that many 
steps a-runnin’ the errands, he’d be awfully imposed on, 
that he would!” But it was a realistic camp scene, 
nevertheless. 

Once, one of the orderlies brought in news of the defeat 
and capture of their division, and the death of the general 
in command. The fiag was lowered to half-mast, and the 


110 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


drums beat a muffled dirge until Minnie threatened 
either to commit suicide or murder the drummers. For- 
tunately, at this crisis, another messenger wheeled up 
bringing word that the general was not even wounded 
but had escaped just in time to enter the second engage- 
ment. Defeat had been turned into victory, and he 
was even then on his way to join the forces at Camp 
S. I. G. The doleful tattoo became vigorously joyful, 
and the flag was promptly run up to the top of the pole 
once more. 

While the soldier fever was at its height the camp 
adopted a password, and any one approaching was 
greeted with the stern, military formula: 

^^Halt! who goes there? '' 

Friend!” 

^‘Advance, friend, and give the countersign!” 

Just at that time Minnie elected to inspect camp, 
one third out of curiosity, the other two thirds from a 
desire to investigate the disappearance of various frying 
pans and kitchen utensils that had undoubtedly been 
drafted for use at camp mess. A kettle swung on three 
poles at the back of the tent, and the oven, which the 
boys had made the first day Sid came over for his visit, 
was still in active service. Minnie’s proposed inspec- 
tion was not by request, except her own. 

‘^I’m a-comin’ out to look at yer camp. Car,” she 
announced with a grim smile, one morning when an 
unusual deficiency in the kitchen had made the prepa- 
ration of breakfast a temper-trying period even for the 
usually sunny-tempered girl. 


A TENT NOT A TENT? 


Ill 


Carter grew suspicious of this sudden interest, and 
tried to head her off. 

Sorry, Min, but you won’t be allowed to get in unless 
you have the password, you know. The general cannot 
be disturbed,” he added grandly. 

“I’ll git the password all right,” Minnie answered 
confidently. “An’ it ain’t the general I ’m after, neither,” 
she added under her breath. 

Carter informed the others of the expected invasion. 

“Let’s change the word,” Sid suggested promptly. 

“Yes, your mother knows the one we have now,” 
Arthur added. “ She might give it away — accidentally,” 
he amended hastily, as he saw Carter bristle up angrily. 
“Of course she would n’t do it on purpose, of course not!” 

“All right,” Carter agreed. “We’ll think up a corker 
this time. ^General Grant’ was too easy. How about 
^Cuba,’ or ^Philippines,’ or — ” 

“Let’s take ^Invader,’” Sid proposed. “That hits 
the nail on the head exactly.” 

The rest agreed that the new word was a good one, 
and that Mistress Minnie would not find it such an easy 
matter to break through the rigid rules of the United 
States army, as she seemed to think it was. They them- 
selves knew something of the matter from their experi- 
ences at Camp Lookout. Besides, it was well for women 
to learn the stuff of which their country’s defenders was 
made. The “I’s” had taken their lesson to heart. They 
had displayed no further interest in the “S. I. G.” head- 
quarters. To them, a tent under any other name would 
be just as hateful. 


112 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


But Minnie proved herself stronger than Uncle Sam 
after all. Just as it struck ten she appeared outside the 
tent and demanded admittance. Promptly Carter 
stepped forward with the usual challenge, to which 
Minnie responded with equal promptitude until he 
reached the words: Advance, friend, and give the 
countersign!” 

Minnie advanced all right, and without a word, let 
go of her apron which she had been holding gathered 
up in one hand. The fall of the curtain displayed a bowl 
of sugar-coated doughnuts, fresh, crisp, and smoking hot. 

If the boys had been classical students they might 
have recalled the stirring story of the Siege of Troy, 
and the colossal Wooden Horse filled with picked men, 
which the Greeks left without the city walls while they 
took ship and pretended to sail away. They might have 
remembered the words of the prophetess Cassandra: 

Beware of the Greeks bearing gifts!” and refused this 
offering. But they did nothing of the sort. The Greeks 
bearing gifts were of no importance to them, while 
Minnie, bearing doughnuts — that was a different story! 
Military discipline fell flat. The fort capitulated without 
terms, conquered by a dish of doughnuts. 

As they fell upon the spoils with boyish appetites 
sharpened by vigorous marchings and counter march- 
ings, Minnie executed a flank movement, and fell upon 
the rear of their defences, quietly slipping into the tent 
on her promised tour of inspection. She departed, ten 
minutes later, via lifted canvas at the rear, with the 
result of her raid piled high in her arms — a broiler, a 


A TENT NOT A TENT? 


113 


frying pan, the hatchet, several cooking spoons and forks, 
and her very best saucepan. In her exit, her eye caught 
a gleam of color from a rain-soaked, begrimed heap lying 
on the ground at the back of the tent. The object looked 
strangely familiar, and closer examination showed that 
it had once been the striped cover from the library couch, 
which, during the tent's Indian existence, had been con- 
verted into a blanket for the Big Chief. Minnie ex- 
amined it critically, and decided that it was not worth 
carrying into the house. 

^^Well," she remarked, resignedly, ‘‘vacation can't 
last forever, that's one blessing! If I had my way there 
would n't be none at all!" 

When she saw the condition her broiler and pans were 
in she grumbled and scolded mightily. She did n' t see 
why the boys had to play soldier! She did n't see why 
they had to play at all. She did n't see why there were 
any boys, anyway, so there! But Minnie's bark, like 
Dixie Doodle's, was always worse than her bite. 


CHAPTER IX 


A Narrow Escape 

While Minnie^s wrath was still at fever heat, Carter 
dashed into the kitchen, hastily unbuttoning his military 
blouse as he ran. 

^‘Say, Min, we^re all going to the beach to-day. Put 
me up some lunch, will you? Hurry! We want to get 
off right away.^^ 

‘‘Haven^t any time to put up lunches to-day,^' she 
announced with grim decision. ^‘IVe got scouring to 
do.^^ She pointed to the rusty-looking pans and the 
greasy broiler significantly. 

^^All right for you, Min,^' Carter began in injured 
tones. suppose 1^11 have to tell the fellows Sid and 
I can^t go.^^ He waited for her next move knowing that 
her anger was short lived. 

^'Anyhow, I have n’t anjrthing to put up,” she added 
shortly. 

^^Oh, you can rake up something,” he assured her con- 
fidently, now that the storm had blown over. '^Some 
fruit or cake, and a couple of hard-boiled eggs apiece, 
and some sandwiches ’ll do.” 

‘^Have n’t anything to put in the sandwiches.” 

‘^Open a jar of preserves or something, if you have n’t 
any meat,” he urged. ‘‘And put in a piece of cheese or 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


115 


a hunk of pie, will you? And don^t forget the paper of 
pepper and salt for the eggs like you did last time/^ 

“Perhaps you^d better do it yourself, Mister Carroll,^' 
Minnie began freezingly, but Carter cut her short. 

“No, ma^am! I^m not in it with you! Thank you, 
Min!^' He dashed out, and Minnie, completely molli- 
fied, set to work on the lunch. 

He reappeared again in a moment, demanding im- 
patiently: “Where on earth did you put our bathing 
suits? I left them right here in the laundry. I do wish 
you^d let my things alone after this.” 

Even worms will turn, and Minnie was not a worm. 

“Yes, and if I^d left those^suits alone,” she flashed 
back angrily, “you would nT Ve had any at all, so there! 
An^ you didn^t leave ^em in the laundry, either! Ye 
left ^em on the line without any clothespins to hold ^em, 
an' they blew over into Mrs. Grant's yard, so there! 
That billy-goat of theirs was just beginnin' to chew 'em 
up when I scared him off with the clothes pole, an' fished 
'em over the fence.” 

“You're all right, Min,” Carter acknowledged heartily. 
“I'll eat an ice-cream cone for you to-day.” 

“That's right good of you. Car!” Minnie received 
his generous offer with a broad smile: by this time she 
had recovered her usual good humor. “But if it's all 
the same to you, I '11 eat my own ice-cream cones. I '11 
have the lunch ready by the time you boys are.” 

Fifteen minutes later the “S. I. G.'s” fell in as the 
procession swung along the block on its way to the beach 
car, each boy carrying his lunch box and dangling his 


116 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I* 


bathing suit, wrapped in a bath towel, at the end of a 
long strap. Just as they were about to scramble on to 
the car, already crowded almost to its capacity. Carter 
discovered that Dixie had pranced along after them. 

‘■You rascal he said crossly. “ I ^11 have to run him 
home again, fellows. Go on! 1^11 try to get the next 
car.” 

“That’ll be too late,” Sid said decidedly. “We won’t 
have time to go in before lunch if you do. Let’s go by 
train and take him along.” 

“But he hasn’t his muzzle on,” Carter objected. 
“Dog-catchers might get him!” 

“We’ll all watch him,” Sid promised. “I’d like to 
see a dog-catcher or any one else get old Doodles with 
this crowd on guard. Come on! it’s after eleven now.” 

Carter hesitated for an instant. He loved the little 
animal dearly, and he had heard that the dog laws were 
very strict that summer. Every dog was required to 
wear a muzzle on the street, even if he wore a collar, 
and a license, and was on a leash. There had been several 
violent quarrels between the dog-catchers and irate 
owners, and even one or two law suits. The law was all 
right, but the manner of enforcing it was brutal, and the 
men chosen to do the work were of the class that abuses 
any power entrusted to it. ' In previous years a dog 
captured by the dog wagon could be redeemed on the 
payment of a three-dollar fine, but that summer there 
had been several “mad dog” scares, due to excitable 
people who did not understand the animals at all, and 
the law permitted the catchers to kill the dogs without 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


117 


notice of any kind to the owners. Carter did not know 
this, however. 

‘'Come on,'' several voices urged, while he still stood 
irresolute. “No dog-catchers at the beach; he'll be 
safe enough there." 

So the boy yielded, and gathering the small dog up 
in his arms sprinted for the train whose whistle sounded 
at that moment. Hurrying into the car at the end 
farthest from the conductor, he pushed Dixie under the 
seat, while three boys sat down in front of him, to hide 
him from view. Everything went well until the conductor 
came through for the tickets. As ill luck would have it, 
he stepped into that very seat to allow a lady to pass 
down the aisle. Dixie, seeing a pair of strange legs 
thrust unexpectedly, close to his nose, growled and 
tried to jump out of his retreat. 

“Keep quiet, you silly!" Carter commanded in a 
fierce whisper, trying to push him back with his foot 
while one of the boys growled to distract the man's 
attention. But the conductor had heard the real growl 
and turned to them angrily. 

“What 've you got under that seat?" he demanded. 

“It — it's only — my puppy," Carter stammered, his 
face flushed with embarrassment. At that moment 
Dixie managed to wriggle out between the imprisoning 
legs and greeted the conductor with a friendly wag of 
his tail. The man looked at him and laughed. 

“Guess this little splinter's not very dangerous," he 
remarked good-naturedly, as he stroked the small dog 
with the gentle touch of a lover of animals. “All the 


118 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


same/' speaking more sternly to Carter, ''you had no 
right to bring him in here, and you know it. He belongs 
in the baggage car. It's early yet for the train crowd, 
so I'll let him stay to-day, but don't try it on again, my 
boy. 

^^Come here, you sliver," he commanded the dog, 
who obeyed willingly. ‘‘That's a fine, soft coat you've 
got on, but where's your muzzle, sir? You'd better tell 
your master to watch out or the goblins '11 git ye! Look 
here, son, this is too nice a little fellow to be put in a 
gas tank." 

“A gas tank?" the boys repeated wonderingly, not 
understanding what the conductor meant. 

“That's what I said. They don't let anybody buy 
back their dogs, this year, no matter what they're willing 
to pay. Into a big gas tank they go, big and little, old 
and young, handsome and ugly, and that's the last of 
Mr. Dog! So watch out!" 

“I will," Carter answered gratefully. “Thank you 
for telling me. I — I don't think I'll go in bathing to- 
day," he added to the boys after the conductor went on. 
“I'm going to keep my eye on old Doodles." 

But on the sand they met Mrs. Grant, who kindly 
offered to take charge of Dixie while the boys were in 
their bath-houses. The “I.'s" were just ready to go in for 
their daily swim. They looked girlishly dainty in their 
•dark blue bathing suits, made as simply as possible and 
trimmed only with bright red ties to match their bathing 
caps. They chatted with the boys for a few minutes, 
then dashed into the water and were soon swimming 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


119 


far beyond the raft, while the boys hurried into the bath- 
ing pavilion. When they came out they hung the rubber 
cords holding their bath-house keys around Dixie’s neck, 
and gave him a lively chase up and down the sand. He 
enjoyed the romp as long as they kept away from the 
water, but once or twice in the midst of the race he was 
caught by a wave higher than the rest, and scrambled 
up the beach towards the board walk in genuine fear. 

''Is it not strange that he should dislike the water 
so?” Mrs. Grant asked in surprise. She was a stately 
woman, very formal in speech. The boys stood some- 
what in awe of her. Being English, she could not in 
the least understand the little fellow’s distaste for a bath. 

"No, ma’am,” Carter answered promptly. "The 
boys who were chasing him when mother rescued him, 
said that he had been ducked once until he was almost 
dead. He remembers it, don’t you, old Billykin?” 

"He misses lots of fun, let me tell you,” Sid added 
regretfully. "Just look at those dogs! They ’re having 
a dandy time.” As he spoke he pointed to two cocker 
spaniels that were splashing about in the waves, and 
swimming out to retrieve bits of driftwood. They 
seemed to be enjoying the water as much as the bathers 
were doing. "I ’d just make him get used to it, if I 
were you. Car. He ’ll probably like it, now. Of course, 
it was different before. Are you going to try him?” 

"I would,” urged Johnny. "It ’s good for him. Can 
he swim?” 

"Can he swim?” Carter repeated in sarcastic tones, 
not a little nettled over the criticism of his pet, kindly 


120 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


though it was. ^^Can a fish swim, you crazy! Of course 
he can swim. Did you ever see a dog that could n^t, 
unless he was hurt in some way?^' 

And to prove the truth of his assertion he picked 
Dixie up in his arms and dashed into the water, the boys 
following, eager to see how the dog would act. Carter 
carried him far beyond his depth, Dixie, at first, squirm- 
ing and twisting in his frantic efforts to escape; but 
later, in deeper water, clinging to his master^s arms 
with a frightened look in his handsome brown eyes, and 
making pitiful little moans of protest. 

Ah 1 see the poor little thing ! He ^s scared to death I ’’ 
one woman commented pityingly. 

Queer for a dog, is nT it?'’ her companion answered. 
‘^Must be a regular bump on a log!" 

Carter favored the last speaker with an angry glare, 
but the words made him more determined than ever to 
conquer Dixie's dislike. 

‘‘There! there! old fellow!" he patted him sooth- 
ingly. “Go on, now, and show them what you can do 
in the swimming line." 

He tossed the dog into the water as he spoke the en- 
couraging words, and Dixie did show them, amid much 
laughing and clapping of hands. He fairly churned 
the water with his quick, short strokes, as he swam 
rapidly towards the shore. As soon as he reached the 
beach he shook himself hard, giving little angry growls 
as he did so, then dashed up the sand. 

“Mrs. Grant'll tend to him," Carter said. “He'll 
roll in the hot sand until he 's dry. Now do you believe 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


121 


he can swim or not?^^ he demanded angrily, turning 
upon Johnny. 

^^Can he swim? Well, I guess Johnny’s enthusi- 
asm atoned for his earlier doubts. ^‘Come on, let’s 
stunt each other from the raft.” 

They swam out to the raft, and for the next fifteen 
minutes forgot everything in the sheer joy of living. 
They performed high dives, sidewise ones, clean cuts, 
and, on Arthur’s part, one or two fiats. Carter was an 
especially good diver. Even the bathing master at the 
pavilion complimented him on his proficiency. Then 
they varied the amusement by pushing each other off 
into the water and seeing how quickly they could scram- 
ble up on to the raft again. In one of these races, Sid 
brought up a crab very much alive and kicking. 

Caught a crab, didn’t you?” Johnny asked inno- 
cently. 

‘^Foolish question number 9,999,” Carter said 
promptly. 

^‘It isn’t either,” Sid defended Johnny; ‘^because 
the crab ’s caught me. Ouch! some one reason with 
him, do! He ’s a business-like old fellow, let me tell you.” 

It was almost one o’clock, before they were ready 
to come out of the water, and they would not have been 
ready then had they not suddenly become aware that 
swimming is hungry work. So they took a final dive 
before heading for the beach, and were just rushing 
through the tunnel to the bath-houses when they re- 
membered their keys, and hurried back to find Dixie 
and rob him of his necklaces. 


122 THE CAPTAIN OF THE “S. I. G/S 


They found Mrs. Grant just where they had left her. 
The had gone in to dress, and she was awaiting 

their return. Dixie Doodle, however, was nowhere in 
sight. 

Where ’s Dix, Mrs. Grant?” Carter asked anxiously. 

“Dixie!” the lady repeated in astonishment. “Why, 
is he not with you? I have not seen him since you took 
him into the water. I went over to listen to the band 
until I thought you were ready to go in, when I came 
back to take care of him while you dressed.” 

The boys looked at each other in dismay, then they 
started on a hurried search up and down the beach, 
calling and whistling, commanding and coaxing, but 
no small dog appeared in answer to their appeals. By 
this time they were genuinely anxious. They were cold, 
too: one of those sudden changes in the weather had 
taken place; a sharp wind was blowing in from the 
ocean that cut through their wet bathing suits like an 
edged knife. Their lips began to get blue, and they 
found it hard to conquer the fits of shivering that seized 
them. In addition to this they were hungry, but they 
did not care to eat in their wet bathing suits, even if they 
had not been so anxious to find the dog. Then, too, their 
lunch boxes were in the bath-houses to which he held 
the open sesame! 

Carter grew more and more worried as the search 
dragged on. He had a guilty feeling that he had neglected 
the little animal, fond as he was of him. Suppose one 
of the dog-catchers had taken him! Dixie was so used 
to love and petting now, that it would be an easy matter 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


123 


to capture him. Suppose they were getting ready to 
put him into that gas tank the conductor spoke of! 
Oh! it was too dicadful! He smothered a sob as he 
hurried from one place to another in anxious search. 

Meanwhile Arthur had gone to the oiSice of the bathing 
pavilion to explain their dilemma, and see whether one 
of the attendants could not open their houses for them. 

‘^What numbers were they?^^ the clerk asked crossly; 
he did not like irregularity in the management of the 
bath-houses, not if it disturbed his conversation with 
the girls from the restaurant next door, at least. 

‘^Why — why — poor Arthur felt that he was cor- 
nered. ^^They were all in a row, the third or fourth aisle, 
I think. 

You think ! And you expect us to open other people^s 
doors just to please a lot of careless boys, do you?'' 

It was hopeless, and Arthur, cold and hungry, turned 
away, not much comforted by the clerk's grudging 
assurance that he would have the attendant keep watch, 
and any houses that were still locked at the end of another 
half hour would be opened. Just as he jumped off the 
board walk on to the beach a crowd of children raced 
towards him, screaming at the top of their voices. 

‘‘It 's moving! It 's moving! Oh! I 'm afraid!" 

“What's the matter?" he asked of the little ones. 
“What 's moving?" 

“Why, the sand! D' you suppose it 's a ghost?" the 
yoimgster asked with a shiver half earnest, half assumed. 

“More likely a crab or a sand spider," Arthur de- 
clared in disdain. 


124 THE CAP^j^AIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


ain^t either one of the little girls asserted ag- 
gressively. It ’s too big. There! is n’t it? Now do 
you see it move? Do you?” 

Arthur gazed in the direction her small finger indicated, 
and saw a large mound of sand undoubtedly agitated. 
First it rose, then it fell, then a shower of sand flew in all 
directions sending the little ones scurrying away shriek- 
ing harder than ever. Arthur ran too, but towards the 
animated hump of sand. 

'^Oh, you dear old fellow!” he exclaimed seizing the 
bundle, sand and all, in his arms, and hugging it tight. 

Dixie looked up yawning and stretching sleepily while 
Arthur whistled the club call and the others came rushing 
up. 

Where ’d you find him?” Carter asked^ breathlessly. 
‘‘You rascal!” But he too hugged him as he spoke. 

“He must have burrowed into the warm sand and 
fallen asleep,” Arthur explained. “He was just stretching 
himself and rolling over when he scared those children. 
You ought to have seen them beat it!” 

After that they each had to “shake hands” with their 
recovered mascot, or pet him in some way. The dog 
was a favorite with them all, and they had been much 
more anxious to find him than to recover their lost 
keys. 

“Guess we won’t try to throw you in again, Mr. Dix,” 
Johnny said decidedly. “You certainly got even with 
us, did n’t you, old boy? But I don’t believe you meant 
to do it, all the same.” 

And Dixie licked his face, then frisked about with 


A NARROW ESCAPE 125 

sharp little barks. He too had had a swim, and he too, 
was hungry. 

'^Come on,’’ Carter shouted, ^^he ’s starved and so are 
we!” 

The boys pulled off their key straps and scattered to 
their bath-houses. Carter managed to elude the watch- 
ful eye of the attendant and carried Dixie with him for 
safe keeping. In an incredibly short time, compared 
to the length of time it took them to dress at home each 
morning, they were out again, had put their suits through 
the wringer and strapped them up, and were settled 
on the sand under one of the huge umbrellas, eating 
away as though they really were starved as Carter had 
declared. 

After lunch they treated themselves to ice-cream cones, 
Dixie enjoying his as much as the boys; then some 
of them tried the '^Barrel of Fun,” others the moving 
pictures or the scenic railway, but Carter and Sid pre- 
ferred the merry-go-round. Dixie climbed up on the 
whirling platform and though Carter captured the brass 
ring twice in succession, giving him two free rides, Dixie 
stayed on with him each time. At the end of the third 
round when he stepped off and lifted the small dog down, 
Dixie spun about dizzily much to every one’s amusement. 
It was several moments before he could walk straight. 

As the boys left the train they met Mrs. Grant. She 
detained Carter and Sid for a moment to ask where 
they had found Dixie. 

‘‘The girls just telephoned over for you,” she added, 
after they had told her about their long search. “They 


126 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


are making ice-cream taffy, and want — ” She stopped 
short, then began to laugh because both boys had set 
off at a run, murmuring some indistinct explanation as 
they started. When they reached their own comer 
Carter ordered Dixie home because the Grants kept cats 
and a goat. Dixie did not mind the former, but they 
seemed to mind him most decidedly. As for the goat, 
he and Dixie were sworn foes. 

'^Go home, old boy!” Carter commanded sharply. 

Dixie looked up at him, his whole heart in his big 
brown eyes. He did nT want to go home; he wanted 
to go wherever his master was going. 

“Go home, sir! Do you hear me?” he made a threat- 
ening gesture towards a stone, and Dixie retreated in 
dignified displeasure. 

“Can he get in?” Sid asked. 

“Yep!” was the laconic reply. “There’s a picket 
loose near the comer and he squeezes through. Come 
on, or it ’ll be too hard to pull.” He meant the candy, 
not the picket. 

The two dashed around the corner into the Grants’ 
garden. Even before they reached the back piazza 
they could smell the taffy. The “I.’s” were splendid 
little cooks, and their friends never refused any of their 
treats. Besides they were such bright, jolly girls, “al- 
most as good as boys,” Carter once said of them. He 
meant it as a compliment. He had intended to call 
over to Minnie to take Dixie into the house, but the 
delicious odor of the taffy drove it from his mind. In- 
stead he and Sid rushed in on the girls with a war-whoop 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


127 


which made them jump, and caused Iva to scurry into 
the hall. 

As the boys turned one comer, a covered wagon 
dashed around the other one, and started up the avenue 
upon which the Carrolls lived. As soon as the driver 
caught sight of Dixie reluctantly making his way toward 
home, he stopped his horse and sprang down from the 
seat, holding in one hand a coil of rope with a slip noose 
at the end. When he had almost reached the small dog 
he began, in wheedling tones: ^‘Nice doggie! good dog- 
gie! come here, boy!’' 

Minnie happened to open the front door at that 
moment to look into the mail box. When she caught 
sight of the man, and recognized the wagon waiting at 
the corner, she turned to see what poor victim he was 
coaxing into the toils. To her horror she discovered 
that it was Dixie Doodle, their own dear little pet that 
the whole family loved as one of themselves. She saw, 
too, with sinking heart, that he was outside the gate 
and unmuzzled. 

She realized that she could not possibly reach the dog 
before the dog-catcher did, so she used her quick wit to 
some purpose. Minnie was pretty at all times, and knew 
it quite well: but when she was dressed for the after- 
noon in her crisp black lawn, with white embroidered 
collar and cuffs, and dainty frilled apron with its be- 
coming bib, she presented a picture well worth seeing. 
The dog-catcher seemed to find her decidedly good to 
look upon as she tossed her head in a coquettish fashion, 
and gazed at him with her big, dark, Irish eyes. He 


128 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


stopped short, and she promptly opened fire upon the 
enemy. She had long ago given up her Irish brogue 
but could still use it on special occasions. 

^'Good-day to you, sir,’^ she called out gayly. ‘Ht 
Mr. — Mr. — ah! sure but I Ve forgot the name. It ’s 
slipped from me intirely. But I havenT forgot the 
features.^' 

The man lifted his cap gallantly, grinning all over 
his ugly face. 

‘^MacDufify, Miss, Mike MacDuffy at yer service,^' 
he informed her promptly. '^An’ what might your 
name be?^' 

Don’t ye remember me?” Minnie asked with a 
dazzling display of her white, even teeth. ^^Sure, an’ 
I ’m not used to bein’ forgotten, I must say,” she ended 
poutingly, tripping lightly down the path as she spoke, 
and stopping on the way to pluck a flower. When she 
reached the gate she stepped out on to the pavement and 
held it towards him with an inviting gesture. 

‘‘Sure, it ’s a bachelor’s button I have for you,” she 
said saucily. 

The man dropped the coil of rope after a hasty glance 
towards his victim which showed him that the small 
dog was nosing contentedly about near the fence, un- 
conscious of danger, and allowed Minnie to fasten the 
flower in his buttonhole, grinning even more broadly 
if possible as he did so, and looking down admiringly 
at the girl’s sleek, dark hair. 

“It’s an honor to be decorated by sich fair hands,” 
he complimented her gushingly. 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


129 


^‘Ah, go way with ye!’’ she replied with a ringing 
laugh. ^‘Sure ye must ’ve kissed the Blarney Stone 
before ye come over here. Even yer horse is tired of 
waitin’ fer sich a slow-poke.” 

As she spoke she gave him a playful push, and when 
he turned to look after his horse, she seized Dixie, and 
flew towards the gate, wrapping him hard and fast in 
her fresh white apron as she ran. The small dog was 
unused to such treatment from her, and struggled 
so frantically to free himself that she had to give him a 
sharp blow on the head to quiet him. 

But the man was too quick for her; he reached the 
gate before she could unlatch it. He did not notice her 
burden at first, so deftly had she managed it; he simply 
wanted to have a little more conversation with the 
pretty Irish lassie. But his glance happened to fall upon 
the place where Dixie had been standing and he looked 
about in search of his prey, while Minnie stood close to 
the gate, her back turned to him. 

Where ’d that confounded pup git to?” he asked 
irritably, throwing gallantry to the winds as soon as it 
interfered with business. 

Minnie turned part way and peered past him up the 
street, exclaiming: ^^That little fellow? That brown 
dog, d’ye mean?” and as the man wheeled about, she 
threw wide the gate and dashed up the path. Rushing 
into the house she slammed and locked the door, then 
sat down on the hall floor and burst into tears, petting 
and smoothing Dixie as though the small dog had been 
rescued from the grave, as indeed he had been. 


130 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


‘^Poor little doggie-woggie! Bad old man sha^nT git 
Minnie^s little pet, no he sha^n’t! Not if Minnie knows 
it! Minnie ^11 settle him! Yes, sir, she’ll whip him! 
Tryin’ to put an old rope around this pretty little neck! 
Thought he was goin’ to put this boy into a nasty old 
gas tank, didn’t he? But Minnie fooled him, that 
she did!” 

All the time she was speaking, she was rubbing Dixie’s 
neck as gently as though the hateful rope had actually 
jerked him away, while Dixie, enjoying the petting, 
tried to express his gratitude by licking her face with a 
fond little red tongue. 

Mrs. Carroll, hearing the door slam, came down to 
see what was the trouble. She, too, joined in the petting- 
fest. She felt angry with Carter for his carelessness, 
as the small dog had been in his charge. 

When the boys reached home, carrying their portions 
of the snowy taffy carefully cut into marbles and done 
up in paraffine paper, Minnie told them the whole story, 
and once more the dog was petted and fondled, but this 
time it was by Sid, because Carter, feeling guilty and 
ashamed for taking such a risk just for his own selfishness, 
hurried to the tool chest after a hammer and nails, and 
nailed the loose picket hard and fast. His petting came 
later. 

‘^You keep all my taffy, Minnie,” he urged earnestly. 
Minnie had a whole set of sweet” teeth, but so had 
Carter himself. Please do, Minnie,” he insisted when 
she tried to refuse. want you to have it.” 

With that he lifted Dixie up in his arms as carefully 


A NARROW ESCAPE 


131 


as though the dog^s harrowing experience had deprived 
him of the power of locomotion, and started to leave 
the kitchen, but stopped at the door, and informed 
Minnie seriously: ^‘Say Min, the very first time I see that 
curly-headed grocery-man of yours, I 'm going to tell 
him what a trump his girl is!” 

‘'Sure you don’t have to tell him!” Minnie answered 
with a coquettish laugh. “He knows it already!” 


CHAPTER X 


A Five-dollar Bill 

Dixie received so much attention during the next few 
days that he was in a fair way to be spoiled. Possibly 
the family deserved Mrs. Walton^s tart criticism: 

Humph! they^d better give all that care to some poor 
child instead of to a disagreeable yellow dog.^' But Mrs. 
Walton herself was far from pleasant, and to the dis- 
agreeable all things are disagreeable. She might well 
have acted on her own suggestion, for she had neither 
child nor dog; but it was much easier for her to see the 
mote in the Carrolls^ eyes, and forget the beam in her 
own. She disliked boys and dogs intensely and they 
returned her dislike in full measure, pressed down and 
running over. 

Nevertheless, Dixie did his best, during the following 
week, to deserve her criticism. One of his worst faults 
was his habit of digging. Mr. Carroll always scolded 
when he found unsightly holes in the lawn, and Carter 
had whipped the small culprit more than once without 
making much impression upon him. The dog seemed to 
enjoy the work so: his paws fairly flew, and his little 
black-tipped nose became a regular shovel; but the 
result of his labors was neither ornamental nor useful. 
In fact, Mrs. Carroll almost broke her ankle once, by 


A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL 


133 


stepping into one of the holes. Of late, however, he 
seemed to be giving up his bad habit. 

Not long after Dixie^s rescue. Carter and Sid were in 
New York — they had gone to the Museum to see the 
Peary exhibit — and Mrs. Carroll was spending the day 
in Brooklyn, when Dixie, probably out of sheer loneli- 
ness, killed time by digging a hole close to the side of the 
house. He worked hard over it, and by dark it was 
both large and deep. That night it rained steadily, and 
the next morning Minnie complained that the wall of 
the cellar was dripping with dampness. As several 
things about the house needed attention. Carter was 
dispatched to inform Mrs. Markham, the landlady. 

Just as Mrs. Markham drove up to the gate that 
afternoon, the boys discovered Dixie working away for 
dear life, evidently putting the finishing touch to his 
labors of the day before. 

“What on earth are you doing there, you rascal?^’ 
Carter demanded angrily. Dixie was not doing any- 
thing on earth, as it happened — it was in earth; but 
the boy was too excited to remember such little things. 
“Guess you think you’ll dig down to Pig Tail Land, 
don’t you? Better not, if you don’t want to be stewed. 
They eat puppy dogs, down there; sure they do! 
There comes the landlady now. Good! she’s gone 
into Mrs. Harper’s! Scoot, old fellow! Do you 
hear?” 

Then he and Sid began to toss rocks and dirt into the 
hole over which the dog had worked so patiently. They 
had barely finished their task when Mrs. Markham 


134 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L G/S 


reappeared, and began a careful examination of the side 
of the house. 

‘^Why, here’s the trouble, Carter!” she exclaimed the 
instant she caught sight of the broken ground. “You 
must have rats about. We’ll have to fill all this up with 
cinders, don’t you think so?” 

“Yes’m,” he assented politely. 

“How is that dear little dog of yours?” she asked 
kindly. “Mrs. Harper tells me he’s as bright as a little 
button. What did you name him?” 

“Dixie Doodle,” Carter answered. 

. At the sound, the owner of the name started towards 
them, but Carter shot a stone over his shoulder to check 
his joyful progress. He knew that the little black tip 
on the end of the dog’s nose was covered with tell-tale 
yellow mud, and he preferred to punish him himself. 

I After the landlady had taken her departure he did 
punish him so severely that it seemed to make a real 
impression upon his canine mind. At any rate, he 
stopped digging. Perhaps his reformation was partly 
due to the load of cinders which Mrs. Markham ordered 
to be put all around the house, his favorite digging field. 

The next morning Mrs. Carroll handed Minnie a five- 
dollar bill to pay for some groceries that were coming 
over from New York. When the things arrived and 
Minnie started to give the boy the money for them, 
the bill had disappeared. She moved everything on the 
table, searched about the sink, and examined all the 
pantry shelves, but no bill could be found. By this time 
she was really anxious^ and ran upstairs to ask Mrs. 


A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL 


135 


Carroll whether she had taken the money again. Then 
the two for the second time went over everything in 
the kitchen thoroughly, but without result. Finally 
Mrs. Carroll had to give the waiting boy a cheque for 
the amount. 

“You don^t think I took that money, do you?^^ Minnie 
whispered as soon as the boy left the kitchen. She was 
almost crying as she spoke. 

“I don't think, I know you did not!" Mrs. Carroll 
answered so positively that the sun once more shone 
through Minnie's storm, and the faithful girl felt that 
life was worth living again. “But Mr. Carroll is so 
hard pressed for ready money, just now," Mrs. Carroll 
added with a sigh. “I feel as though we ought to give 
up our trip to the lakes this year, but Carter is looking 
thinner than usual and needs the change of air. I do 
hope we will find that bill somewhere." 

For the next few days the whole family kept their 
eyes open, on the lookout for the missing money. Mrs. 
Carroll offered fifty cents reward to the finder, so the 
boys set to work, and later were joined by the rest of 
the “S. I. G.'s." Fifty cents meant beach and bath- 
house, car fare and cracker-jack, so it was worth trying 
for, but the glory of success would have been incentive 
enough. They scoured kitchen, pantry, and laundry; 
then they examined the garden from fence to fence, but 
all to no purpose. When Minnie finally suggested that 
if the Carroll family wanted any dinner that night at 
least nine boys would have to clear out from under foot, 
they seemed so disappointed that she took pity on them. 


136 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


‘‘Sure an’ it’s pretty hard you all worked even if you 
did n’t find the money. If yer mother says yes, you can 
have these lemons an’ some sugar, Car. Mebbe she’ll 
let you crack a bit of ice for it.” 

Mrs. Carroll consented and the treasure hunters 
mixed a big pitcher of lemonade. It was quantity in- 
stead of quality, but it was sweet and cold, and they 
found it quite a consolation for their unsuccessful efforts. 

On the following Saturday, while the family were at 
breakfast, a soiled envelope was handed to Mrs. Carroll. 
It was addressed in a big, boyish scrawl with the word 
“Important” in black letters in one corner. 

“There’s a little fellow waitin’ in the kitchen to take 
back the answer,” Minnie informed her mistress. 

When Mrs. Carroll opened the envelope a crumpled 
bit of paper fell into her lap, unnoticed by her, and 
fiuttered to the floor as she spread out the letter. Dixie 
seized it, and darting under the table began to chew it, 
but Carter happened to catch sight of him as he was 
disappearing, and jerking him out unceremoniously, 
rescued the enclosure. 

“Well, look here!” he exclaimed in surprise. “It’s 
money, mother, real money! Yes, sir, it’s a five-dollar 
bill, or what’s left of it, rather. I’ll bet it’s our 
bill!” 

“Give it to me. Carter,” Mrs. Carroll spoke excitedly. 
“Poor boy! I’m so glad he sent it back.” 

“What boy? Who? Where ’d it come from?” Carter 
questioned eagerly. 

“Perhaps your mother might be able to tell you if 


A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL 


137 


you give her half a chance, Car,’’ Mr. Carroll remarked 
mildly. there is ever a prize offered for rapid-fire 
questions, I’m sure you’ll take it. What is it all about, 
Eve?” he asked turning to his wife. Whose money is 
it? How did it happen to be in a letter, all chewed up 
in this way?” 

Mrs. Carroll laughed. 

‘^Possibly Carter’s father might be a close second in 
a rapid-fire question contest,” she said mischievously, 
as soon as she could speak. 

“Oh, pshaw!” he ejaculated somewhat nettled; “I 
just wanted to know — ” 

“So did Car. It seems to be a family trait. Judging 
from this letter, Dickey Bird ^wanted to know’ too. I’ll 
read you what it says,” she added soberly. “The boy 
who wrote it deserves all the help that he can get — it 
took genuine courage to send this. 

“To THE Lady of the House. 

“I cant keep this here money. I tried to but it bothered me 
so hard I could nt make myself use it. I hope it aint spoiled 
to mutch. I didnt tear it. It was that little brown dog of 
yours. He stood on his hind legs when the girl was puttin the 
groceries away and poked at it until he pushed it off the table. 
I didnt know what he was chewin until your girl began huntin 
fer the money. When she went up to tell you I peeked under 
the table and saw it was the five dollar bill. I took it away 
from the mutt and meant to give it to her when she came 
down but I didnt an Im awful sorry now. I wont ever take 
anything again if you will just forgive me this time. Itll be 
a lesson to me all my life. Ive always been honest, except 
this one time. Will you give me another chance please? 

“Yours with respect 

“Harry R. Smith.” 


138 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


There was silence for a moment after Mrs. Carroll 
finished reading the letter. They all felt sorry for the 
writer. 

‘^He’s just a boy, remember,’’ Mrs. Carroll said at 
last, with a suspicious little break in her voice. ‘^Why, 
he could n’t be much older than Carter and Sid, poor 
lad.” 

What are you going to do about it?” the boys asked 
almost in one voice. 

‘^He must have been genuinely sorry,” Mr. Carroll 
added gravely, ‘‘or he would not have confessed and 
returned the money.” 

“I think so, too,” Mrs. Carroll said eagerly. “We 
never once connected him with the loss, did we, boys? 
He has confessed entirely of his own accord. I think 
that ought to count for a great deal. A really bad boy 
would never do that, would he, dear?” 

“No, indeed,” Mr. Carroll agreed promptly and re- 
ceived a pleased look from his wife as she hurried away 
to answer the boy’s letter. 

It was a kind, helpful, motherly answer, one that 
made the lad feel that life offered too much that was 
noble for him to become ignoble. And Mrs. Carroll’s 
forgiveness, when she might have been harsh and un- 
forgiving, did him the greatest good of all. The next 
time he came with groceries she had a little talk with 
him, and explained that she was making herself respon- 
sible for his future honesty by not reporting him to the 
firm for which he worked. Some months later, Mrs. 
Carroll happened to be in the store and asked how the 


A FIVE>-DOLLAR BILL 


139 


boy was getting along. When she was told that he was 
soon to be promoted, she received the news with genuine 
pleasure and thankfulness. 

It was some months after the loss and return of the 
five-dollar bill that Dixie Doodle made up for his part 
in its disappearance by doing something so helpful that 
it more than atoned for any wickedness of his puppy 
days. 

During these first vacation weeks of fun and frolic, 
the team had not once forgotten the real reason for its 
organization as a baseball nine. In the midst of their 
good times the boys still managed to get in some pretty 
steady work on the field. Their rivals, the ^^Stars,^^ also 
practiced diligently, besides playing other teams; but 
the I. G.^s” had determined not to challenge 
any one until they felt themselves ready for the 
fray. 

They were fortunate in securing the help of Johnny 
Porter^s uncle, Sidney Porter, who played on the Prince- 
ton nine. He made them stand around at a pretty lively 
rate, but he corrected their faults and strengthened the 
weak spots in the team work. They appreciated this, 
and endured his bossiness” and his lordly contempt 
with the best grace they could muster. It was hard, 
though, even in the face of all his efforts in their behalf, 
to be dubbed “kids,” and “raw ones,” and treated as 
though they were kindergarten youngsters playing with 
a knitted ball! 

“If he was Matty himself, he could n^t rub it in 
harder,” Sid complained one day when bis b^st efforts 


140 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


/ 


in the pitching line had brought forth only criticism, or 
what was worse, ridicule. 

^'DonT you care,” Carter advised soothingly. ^'He^s 
helping us get ready for the 'Stars,’ remember. We 
organized as a baseball team just on their account, and 
our whole club will be a failure if we don’t do them up. 
Besides, you haven’t heard how he talks about you 
outside. He told father that you were 'the stuff’ all 
right. He said that you were a born pitcher, and you’d 
make the college team sit up and take notice when 
you got there! Now will you be good, and stop 
grumbling?” 

And Sid was so encouraged that the Princetonian 
insults the next day bounded off as lightly as hail from 
a coat of mail. The fiercer the dig, the more smilingly 
he received it, and the harder he worked to bring up his 
standard. In fact all the team worked hard, especially 
as the eventful day drew near. Pirates’ caves, Indian 
encampments, and forts; even the beach itself became 
unimportant, mere child’s play, in comparison to the 
coming contest, for the challenge had been sent to the 
"Stars” in due form, and the great game was set for 
the last Wednesday in July. 

At this time the boys talked baseball, files, three- 
baggers, home-runs, and fouls until their relatives were 
either wildly interested or fairly nauseated by the sub- 
ject. 

"Everjdhing I eat lately tastes of baseball,” Mr. 
Carroll declared laughingly, one evening just as they 
were finishing a dinner during which Carter and Sid 


A FIVE-DOLLAR BILL 


141 


had talked ^^balF’ without ceasing. ^^The soup was 
served during a ^home-run/ the roast was indeed a 
^ roast’ of ‘sore players’ and ‘butter-fingered fielders’; 
the salad was not one whit ‘greener’ than the batters; 
and now the dessert rests on ‘stolen bases.’ Boys, if I 
don’t survive the coming contest, please see that my 
tombstone is suitably inscribed. How would ‘A Victim 
of Baseball!’ do; or better yet, this one — I found it 
in an old graveyard in Maine. I can alter it to suit 
the circumstances, you know. 

'Behold and see, as you pass by! 

As you are now, so once was I, 

And as I am, so you will be. 

If they talk you to death, as they have me!' ” 

“Why, father!” Mrs. Carroll exclaimed in shocked 
accents, although she was trying hard not to smile. 
“You want the ‘S. I. G.’s’ to win, don’t you?” 

“Sure thing!” he answered teasingly, “if they’ll play 
ball and not talk about it everlastingly.” 

During practice Sidney Porter had laid great stress 
upon proper training for athletic sports of any kind. 

“A fellow that’s stuffed, or that’s all out of sorts 
from eating trash, can’t do good work in athletics, see?” 

The team saw, and took his lecture very much to 
heart. 

“Let’s cut out pies, and cakes, and sweet things for 
the next few days,” Carter suggested seriously. “If we 
were in a college crew, or were training for a race we’d 
hardly have anything at all to eat.” 


142 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


Mrs. Carroll noticed that both boys refused dessert 
for the rest of the time before the game and felt that 
they deserved some reward for their resolution. 

think you’ll be ready for a treat after the ^simple 
life’ you’ve been leading lately,” she began pleasantly, 
the day before the date set. ‘‘As you are the captain, 
Car, you may invite the team home for a lunch to-mor- 
row, as soon as the game is over, that is if — ” 

“If I’ll turn the ice-cream freezer,” he finished the 
sentence for her. “It’s a pity about Minnie, I must 
say, when I’m so busy. If she can’t — ” 

“It is not Minnie’s work,” his mother interrupted his 
grumbling, quietly. 

“We’ll turn it,” Sid volunteered eagerly. “We’ll be 
glad to. And the fellows will be awfully pleased when 
they hear there’s to be a spread afterwards. It will 
make them work all the harder.” 

“That’s so,” Carter agreed, heartily ashamed of the 
ungracious reception of his mother’s plan. “Thank you, 
mother. I’ll tell the boys. But make Minnie mix the 
stuff early, won’t you? We’ve got to get it done so as 
to rest up for afternoon.” 

Mrs. Carroll smiled involuntarily at his important 
tone, yet she was almost as deeply interested in the 
comdng contest as the boys themselves. 


CHAPTER XI 


^^Stars^^ vs. 1. G:s^^ 

Wednesday dawned clear and bright, and not too 
warm, an ideal day for sport of any kind. The game 
was set for two o’clock, but long before that time the 
grand stand was crowded with friends of the contesting 
teams, and boys and girls from all the surrounding 
schools. Railbirds were thick on the fence about the 
field. These were largely the members of other teams 
whom the ^‘Stars’’ had already defeated, and who con- 
fidently expected the I. G.’s” to join their ranks 
before the day was over. 

The were the center of a group of girls gathered 

at the north end of the stand. They were all dressed 
in white and all carried triangular blue pennants with 
I. G.” in letters of white set on them. The “I.’s” 
had made the pennants themselves, working away busily 
during the previous week. They had their hearts set 
on victory for their side, and had composed several 
cheers which they had written out and sent to the rest 
of the girls, so that all were prepared to give them with 
vim and vigor, as soon as occasion arose. Ida, of course, 
was the leader, with Iva as admiring assistant. 

They opened the ball with the promising couplet: 

know how to bat: we can catch a fly: 

We can take the game from you, and not half try!” 


144 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


This was varied, later, by the I. yell itself, 
given by a crowd of school boys: 

^^Rah! Rah! Rah! Sis! Boom! Bah! 

Staten Island Giants! Ha! Ha! Ha! 

Are we in it? Well, I guess! 

^S. I. G.W ^S. 1. G/s! ^ Yes! Yes! Yes!^’ 

A group of ^‘Star’’ girls, waving slender canes tied 
with bright red bows, promptly took up the gauntlet, 
and retorted with slangy forcefulness: 

*^Brag! Brag! Brag! Sixty cents a peck! 

Any one who plays the ^ Stars, ^ will get it in the 

Yea-a-a, verily! 

But then yells’^ both of the college and the base- 
ball variety are seldom classical. If they hit the mark 
either in cheers or jeers, it is all that can be expected of 
them. 

Dixie, the I. G.^s^^ mascot was wearing a huge 
bow of blue and white in honor of the occasion. As the 
team trotted into the field, he followed them as a matter 
of course. During practice he always settled down 
quietly on the bench beneath the blackboard, and on 
this day he started for his usual place, but just as he 
reached it, a terrific hissing and spitting arose, and 
without warning a black ball of furry fury sprang towards 
him. This reception was so unexpected that he turned 
involuntarily to run, while the Stars howled with 
glee, because the author of the hissing was their mascot, 
a huge black cat decorated with a bow of bright red 
ribbon. 


STARS rs. '^S. I. G/S^^ 


145 


But their cry changed its tone in short order. In an 
instant Dixie recovered from his surprise and turned 
to give battle. He was a spunky little animal and seiz- 
ing the spitting, clawing beast by the scruff of the neck, 
he held on with a regular bulldog grip, in spite of all 
attempts to make him let go. There was wild excite- 
ment for a few moments, but before the cat was really 
injured, Arthur, the ingenious, appeared with some 
pepper which he sprinkled upon Dixie^s nose. This 
caused him to relax his grip to sneeze, whereupon the 
cat, wise beyond his years, disappeared from the scene. 
He evidently believed that 

who fights and runs away 
Will live to fight another day.” 

At any rate he ran, and Dixie, after a protracted 
spasm of sneezing, settled down in his accustomed place 
and calmly went to sleep. 

‘^That ^s a good beginning all right,” Johnny remarked 
with deep satisfaction. ‘^Now if we can only do up the 
team as completely as Dixie did up its mascot, we ’ll 
have something to crow over. They Ve crowed over 
us so long, they deserve all they ’ll get if — ” 

^^Yes, if — ” Sid interrupted gloomily. ‘‘It’s a 
pretty big ‘ if,’ let me tell you.” 

“Never trouble trouble, till trouble troubles you,” 
Arthur advised them solemnly, but only received a 
sulky “Oh! shut up!” for his pains. 

In the toss-up the “S. I. G.’s” won and chose the field. 
In spite of Dixie’s victory, the game started in badly 


146 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L G/S 


for the team. Either they lost their heads in this their 
first actual contest, or else the Stars’^ overwhelmed 
them by their dash and surety. At all events the first 
inning showed a score of 5 to 0 in favor of their opponents. 
It was a most discouraging beginning. The ‘‘Stars’^ 
seemed fairly to fly from bag to bag. They hurled 
themselves along the ground to touch a base without 
the faintest regard apparently for life or limb, and cer- 
tainly none for their clothing as they slid along the 
ground. 

‘^They say we must all eat a peck of dirt sometime 
during our lives,^^ Mrs. Porter remarked, laughingly; ‘‘but 
donT you think baseball players make it a bushel? There ! 
look at that boy! He ^s fairly swimming, face down, 
through the dust. But he ’s made the base, though 

“I wish the ‘Stars’ didn’t have such long arms,” 
Mrs. Carroll answered with an uneasy sigh. “That 
last runner seemed to touch third base with his fingers 
before his foot left second! 5 to 0! Our boys will never 
make up against such odds, I ’m afraid. It will take 
all the heart out of them right at the start. Just listen! 
The ‘Stars’ feel sure of victory already!” 

The ladies looked towards a group of “Star” partisans 
at the southern end of the stand. One of their number, 
a thin, long-legged fellow, was acting as conductor of 
the vocalists. His arms were swinging violently and 
he was putting through such contortions of body and 
face that it seemed as though he were trying to turn 
himself inside out, but the result of his efforts was cer- 
tainly vigorously clamorous. 


STARS t;s. ^‘S. 1. G/S’^ 


147 


‘^One we win! Two we win! Three we win some more! 

By the ninth inning the other side feels sore!” 

To which the“S. I. G” followers promptly retorted, 

‘‘Keep cool! Don^t play the fool! 

Wait for the finish is a pretty good rule. 

The ‘S. I. G.^s^ ^11 begin in a minute! 

Then where ^11 the ‘Stars’ be? They won’t be in it!” 

But Mrs. Carroll was wrong in her doleful prophecy, 
much to her own satisfaction. Either such unwonted 
success in the first inning went to the heads of the Stars 
and made them over-confident, or else the heavy handi- 
cap of 5 to 0 put the S. I. G.^s^' on their mettle; at any 
rate, their score crept up slowly but surely during the 
next few innings, two runs, one nm, and two runs again, 
until at the end of the fifth inning the score was tied, 
6 to 6. 

There were no runs scored in the next two innings, 
although it was during an exciting point of the seventh 
that one of the Stars took third base on a foul and 
tried to bring in a run without going back to second 
base. 

The grand stand, even the ^^Star^' adherents them- 
selves recognized the error, but the umpire was one of 
those “know-it-alls’^ who, after declaring the player 
safe, lacked the good sense, or the courage, to acknowl- 
edge his mistake. The play came to a standstill while 
a heated argimient ensued, and continued until the 
“S. I. G.’s” threatened positively to withdraw from 
the game then and there, unless the matter were adjusted 
fairly. This brought the umpire to terms; he yielded 


148 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


the point, declared the score still a tie, and the play 
proceeded. 

During the eighth inning, the Stars brought in two 
runs, and Johnny Porter scored one for the I. G.’s.^' 
In the ninth inning, the “Stars were struck out in 
rapid succession, and with a score of 8 to 7, Carter 
went to bat, the bases full and two men out! 

The excitement was intense. The girls forgot to wave 
canes or pennants, and even the cheers were suspended 
as the spectators leaned forward, in breathless interest. 
Mrs. Carroll knew enough about the game to under- 
stand that on the team^s captain rested the result of 
the contest. If he failed to score, defeat for the 

S. I. G.^s^^ would follow. During the next ten minutes 
she never once took her eyes from her boy. Perhaps he 
felt the intensity of her gaze, or perhaps he instinctively 
realized her interest, for he looked towards her with a 
mischievous smile and threw up his arm in gay greeting. 

“Go it, Car!^^ “It 's up to you!^' Give ^em a run 
for their money 1'^ “Last chance for our white alley! 
were some of the encouraging admonitions shouted out 
to him by his friends, while the “Star^^ clique began 
in a tantalizing sing-song: “The batter ^s rattled! 
The batter ^s rattled!'^ 

“He is, is he?'^ Carter muttered with a grim smile. 
“We '11 see whether he is, or not! He '11 make you 
rattled before he gets through with you!" 

And fortunately he was one of those players who are 
not easily “rattled": at a critical juncture like this 
he was much more apt to rise to the occasion and play 


^^STARS^^ t;5. I. 


149 


extra well. He glanced again towards the grand stand 
and smiled in anything but a nervous manner. Taking 
off his cap he dusted the home-plate with vigorous 
whacks. When he returned the cap to his head, without 
even a pretense at shaking it, his mother uttered an in- 
voluntary ^‘Oh!” of dismay. After this bit of house- 
cleaning, he gripped his bat firmly, and tapped it several 
times upon the plate, winking aggravatingly at the 
catcher as he did so. 

The spectators watched every motion of the play 
that followed, while the umpire^s monotonous: “Ball — 
one ! Ball — two ! Ball — three ! ’ ' rang out . 

“Oh! I wish he get his base on balls,^’ Ida whis- 
pered excitedly. “I^m afraid he ^11 strike out, and 
there ^s so much depending on him.” 

“They won’t strike Carter out!” Iva replied, loyally, 
still in a subdued whisper as though fearful of disturbing 
the batter. But almost as she said the words the um- 
pire’s “Strike — two!” reached them. 

“It’s all up for us!” Arthur mumbled, shaking his 
head dolefully. 

“You old croaker!” It was Johnny who answered 
him. “There! look at that, and croak if you dare!” . 

“That” was a ball which the batter had just sent 
crashing towards the extreme limit of the field; not a 
fly, but a liner, one of those balls that are almost impos- 
sible to catch. It passed the fielders easily, and even 
after it struck the ground it bounded on and on. Carter 
and the three men on bases followed suit, sprinting from 
bag to bag like the wind, hard-earned victory well within 


150 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


their grasp. At second, a glance assured Carter that 
two men were safe, if . he needed assurance other 
than the jubilant chorus of I. G.^sM Rah! Rah! 
Rah!^^ followed by a long-drawn ^'Yea-a-a! Yea-a~a! 
Yea-a~a! ‘ Stars !^’^ for the losers. With apparent 
indifference which must have been hard to maintain 
in the face of the enthusiastic mob awaiting him, he 
sauntered off the field. At the north end of the grand 
stand the blue and white pennants were dancing about 
frantically, while even in the center where the adults 
had congregated, a mass of waving hats and handker- 
chiefs attested to the excitement which a close game 
produces. 

While the boys gathered about their captain, all 
elated over their victory, Johnny Porter^s small cousin 
climbed up to the blackboard and triumphantly posted 
the score in figures of colossal size. 

Stars 8 
I. G.^s^^ 9 

''He said we would and we did! He said we would 
and we did!’^ Johnny declared over and over. 

"Who said what?’^ Carter asked finally, not so much 
because he wanted to know as because he wanted to 
shut Johnny up. 

"Uncle Sid! He knew we 'd win! I wish he had been 
here to-day !^^ 

"He didn^t talk that way to us,^' Arthur remarked 
in complaining tones. 

"Of course he didn't!^' Johnny explained volubly. 


^^STARS” I. G/S” 


151 


''Think he wanted to give us the swell-head? That’s 
the worst thing that can happen to a team, he says: it 
queers them right from the start.” 

"That’s so,” Carter agreed thoughtfully. "That 
first five was too much for the 'Stars’: it made them 
too cock-sure. Besides, they ’ve won every game they ’ve 
played this summer except this. We ’ll have to watch 
out now, when we play any other teams, or this will do 
the same thing for us, and don’t you forget it!” 

News of the promised treat for the "S. I. G.’s” had 
leaked out in some way; possibly the members of the 
team had themselves been the carrier-pigeons. A 
strong bodyguard of partisans accompanied them to 
the Carrolls’ gate and showed every evidence of willing- 
ness to go further if urged, but they were not urged. 
Mrs. Carroll had foreseen just this contingency and 
had wisely limited the spread to the team itself. 

She had planned to surprise the bpys by inviting 
Mrs. Harper to join them in the clebration if she felt 
equal to the exertion. Mrs. Harper accepted for the 
party, but stayed away from the field. She knew that 
she would hear the game discussed from first to last, 
and she was not strong enough to go to both places. 

As soon as the game was over, Mrs. Carroll hurried 
to the Harpers’ to help the invalid across the street. 

"They ’ve won! They ’ve won!” Mrs. Harper cried 
joyfully as soon as she caught sight of her friend’s face. 
" Oh ! I ’m so glad ! I ’m all ready. Wait just a moment 
though; I have a present for Dixie Doodle.” 

The present proved to be a bright-colored harness 


152 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


with tiny bells on it. She had knitted it herself. She 
had grown very fond of the small dog: his antics amused 
her. She said that he did her more good than medicine. 

Dixie was equally fond of her, but he failed to show 
any keen appreciation of his present. After tugging in 
vain in his efforts to tear the harness off — it was just 
out of reach of his paws — he retired under the big 
couch in the library and sulked; but when the boys 
came tramping in, joyous and hungry, he forgot his 
grievance, forgot even the obnoxious bells, and rushed 
out to greet them, prancing about from one to the other 
as though he wanted to congratulate them on their 
victory. 

Mrs. Harper was also anxious to congratulate them. 
She stood, flushed and smiling, awaiting them with 
almost girlish eagerness, and it was good to see the 
manly way in which each lad went up to her and gently 
shook the outstretched hand. 

While the boys were upstairs cleaning up after the 
fray, the doorbell rang. Carter peered over the ban- 
isters anxiously, fearing some interruption to the prom- 
ised treat. When his mother opened the door, he went 
back to the boys with a wry face. 

Just our luck! It ^s Mrs. Walton,’^ he said in a 
disgusted whisper. '^I do hope mother wonT ask her in.'' 

^^So do I!" came the unanimous reply. 

Mrs. Walton was one of those women who persistently 
rub boys the wrong way, and they disliked her accord- 
ingly. Dixie Doodle seemed to have a special grudge 
against her also. He invariably greeted her with brist- 


STARS ^^S. 1. G/S^^ 


153 


ling back and low angry growls, and as she both feared 
and detested dogs, his reception added to her dislike. 
When Carter peered over the banisters a second 
time, the small dog was advancing towards the lady, 
emitting a series of snappy little barks. 

“Dickey Bird!^^ Mrs. Carroll admonished him sharply; 
then she greeted the unexpected guest and invited her 
to come in. 

“The team are having a little party, she explained 
brightly, “to celebrate their victory, you know. Won^t 
you join us?^^ 

“Say no! Say no!’’ the boys muttered above-stairs, 
as they hung over the banisters anxiously awaiting her 
reply. Her first words dashed their hopes. 

“As long as you insist I might as well,” she replied 
somewhat ungraciously: “but I don’t believe in spoiling 
boys in this way. You know my views on that subject, 
Mrs. Carroll. If you ’ll call off this ugly little animal, 
I ’ll come in. How do you do, Mrs. Harper? I cer- 
tainly did not expect to find you here.” 

“I have to help our boys celebrate their victory,” 
Mrs. Harper answered smilingly. “That’s what this 
party is for. It ’s a jubilation.” 

“Humph! And what would you have done if they 
had n’t won, I ’d like to know,” Mrs. Walton inquired. 

“Oh, then we ’d have it to bolster up their spirits for 
the next attempt,” Mrs. Harper explained lightly. 
“I wonder what is keeping them upstairs so long,” 
she began, but stopped suddenly and blushed rosy red 
as she realized why they stayed away. 


154 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S” 

Carter!^’ Mrs. Carroll called at the foot of the 
stairs. ^^Are you ready? Minnie is putting the choco- 
late on the table now. DonT let it get cold.’’ 

At that the boys trooped downstairs and greeted the 
newcomer with the best grace they could muster. Then 
the party marched out to the dining-room. Carter 
carefully arranged a cushion at the back of Mrs. Harper^s 
arm-chair, and placed a foot-stool for her, while Sid and 
Johnny helped her into her seat, for she was quite lame 
even on her good days, as she called them. 

^^Let Dixie Doodle come to the table, too,’’ she urged 
laughingly. He ’s the team’s mascot, and he commenced 
the victory by vanquishing their representative, I hear, 
so he deserves to be in at the celebration, don’t you, 
Dickey Bird?” 

Mrs. Walton said nothing but her looks spoke volumes 
of contemptuous criticism. Mrs. Carroll understood 
this and hesitated, uncertain what to do, until the boys 
joined with Mrs. Harper in begging to have the small 
dog with them; then she pulled up Carter’s old high- 
chair still kept ready for infant visitors, and Dixie jumped 
into it with joyful readiness. Like old Paula, the organ- 
grinder, he too ^4ika da eats!” But his joy was damp- 
ened somewhat when his master left his place and pinned 
a large napkin about his neck. It was bad enough to be 
strapped up in elusive, jingling bells without being 
smothered in a small-sized sheet! He started to jump 
down in disgust, but Mrs. Harper’s soft white hand 
restrained him. 

‘^He’s such a lovable little fellow,” she said, as she 


^^STARS^’ rs. 1. 


155 


patted the smooth brown head. “He knows everything 
you say, almost.^' 

“He has good table manners, too,’^ Mrs. Carroll added 
mischievously. “He never teases or helps himself to 
anything. He sets a splendid example to some people 
I know who shall be nameless.^’ Carter and Sid nudged 
each other and the rest of the boys laughed as Mrs. 
Carroll spoke. 

The spread began with hot chocolate and surprise 
sandwiches, as the boys called them because there were 
so many different kinds. If they tried a salad sandwich 
and decided that it could not be beaten, they were sure 
to strike a brown bread, cream cheese, and nut combina- 
tion, or a chopped ham and olive one that threw the first 
favorite away into the shade. There were also some 
dainty finger rolls on the table, and Minnie had placed 
a plate of butter balls near them. Mrs. Harper helped 
herself to one of these balls and left it on her bread and 
butter plate which happened to be directly in front of 
Dixie. He eyed it intently, licking his chops as he did 
so, then he glanced away in the fashion dogs have when 
they are trying to pretend that they are not particularly 
interested; but suddenly there was a snap, and the 
butter ball had disappeared! 

The boys were arguing hotly over one of the after- 
noon^s plays, and Mrs. Walton and Mrs. Carroll were 
talking “jelly,’' so that Mrs. Harper was the only one 
who saw what had happened. 

“Now you see it, and now you don’t see it!” she 
whispered close to the little brown ear. ^‘Butter ball! 


156 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


butter ball! who^s got the butter ball? You have!” 
she ended, poking him playfully in the ribs. 

Dixie looked guilty and shifted about uneasily until 
she took pity upon him and untied the napkin, when he 
disappeared like a flash. Then she told the boys what he 
had done, thinking the joke too good to keep. 

^^He ought to be punished,” Mrs. Carroll declared, 
‘^because he knows he has no right to touch anything 
on the table. I don’t want him to get into bad 
habits. Catch him. Car, before he forgets what he’s 
done.” 

But Carter searched in vain and finally returned to 
the table without the miscreant. 

^^It’s the queerest thing!” he told the boys. '^That 
little rascal has a hiding place somewhere. This is the 
third time he’s disappeared and I have n’t been able to 
find him. I’ve searched the house from cellar to attic, 
but it’s no use. Wish I knew where he goes. Let’s 
track him next time, Sid.” 

By this time the boys had reached the last inning of 
their treat. Towering pyramids of ice cream and gener- 
ous wedges of maple and chocolate cake had succeeded 
the sandwiches and had been disposed of. Only a dish 
of candy and some crisp salted peanuts remained as 
evidences of the feast, and even these were rapidly 
disappearing. 

What’s in that dish?” Carter demanded curiously, 
noticing for the first time that the silver baking dish 
which stood in the center of the table had not yet been 
uncovered. 


STARS vs. “S. L G/S^^ 


157 


Mrs. Carroll glanced inquiringly towards Mrs. Harper 
and received a gay nod in answer. 

'‘If you are sure you have had enough/^ she said ris- 
ing from her place and going to the side of the table 
where she could reach the dish, "we’ll have our surprise 
party now.” 

"But what is it?” Carter began, much mystified. 

"I don’t know what it is myself,” his mother re- 
plied. "My part of the treat is over: this partis Mrs. 
Harper’s.” 

As she spoke she took off the cover and laid nine blue 
and white cords across the table cloth, one pointing 
towards each boy’s plate. 

"When I give the signal you may all pull the string,” 
she ordered, laughing at their mystified faces; "only 
be careful — there may be breakables in the prize 
packages. Now then! On your mark! Get set! Go!” 

Before the last word was out of her mouth, nine blue 
and white strings were hastily yet carefully pulled in, 
and nine mysterious packages covered with tissue paper, 
went gliding with rustling smoothness towards the boys. 
Johnny’s reached home first, and a satisfied "Gee whiz! 
what a beauty!” announced his views on the subject. 
Other exclamations equally appreciative followed, as the 
rest unwrapped their gifts; and nine boyish faces were 
turned towards Mrs. Harper, all shining with genuine 
pleasure, even though the owners could not adequately 
express their gratitude. 

The presents proved to be club pins, pennant-shaped, 
done in blue enamel, with the letters "S. I. G.” in 


158 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


silver in the center, surrounded by a wreath of silver 
leaves. 

^^You know what leaf it is in the wreath, don’t you?” 
Mrs. Harper questioned, her brown eyes shining at the 
success of her surprise. 

‘^No, ma’am!” they acknowledged, after earnest 
scrutiny. 

'^It’s laurel,” she announced triumphantly. ^‘Laurel 
means victory you know; that’s why I chose it. See 
what faith I had in the team!” 

As the boys crowded around her in order to have her 
fasten on their pins for good luck, Mrs. Walton watched 
the pretty little scene with a queer look upon her hard 
face, but, for a wonder, she said nothing. Perhaps her 
views on the question of spoiling” boys were being 
modified in spite of herself. 

Just as they were leaving the dining-room Dixie Doodle 
trotted in, and going up to Mrs. Carroll, laid something 
that he was carrying at her feet, then stood by, his tail 
wagging proudly, his little nose twitching with ex- 
citement. Sid stooped to examine his find and dis- 
covered a small nest made of bits of soft paper. In it 
were four tiny, baby mice, curled up into little furry 
balls. 

‘^You’ll have to forgive him for the butter ball 
now,” Mrs. Harper exclaimed, as she knelt down to 
pat the dog. “See, Missus, he’s bringing you a 
peace-offering.” 

Dixie frisked about, all ready for a romp with the 
fascinating babies. The boys, too, were anxious to in- 


'^STARS^' t;5. 1. 


159 


spect them at closer range, but Mrs. Carroll called 
Minnie and handed the nest to her with a low-toned 
command. When Mr. Carroll heard of the affair that 
night at dinner, he laughed heartily as he asked: 

'^What will the little rascal find next, I wonder!^’ 


CHAPTER XII 


A Sale 

On the day after their victory, the team lounged about 
unable to settle down to either work or play. They were, 
in reality, feeling the reaction after the excitement of the 
day before, but they did not know it. 

^'I hope we won’t go all to pieces the next time we 
play,” Carter remarked gloomily. ‘‘It’s just about 
what we will do, though, if we don’t watch out. We 
can’t have another game until September. Sid and I 
will be away all next month, and the rest of the club, 
too, I suppose. You’re going, are n’t you, Johnny?” 

Johnny nodded. 

“We’ll be up near old Mt. Washington by this time 
next Tuesday,” he informed them. “I’ve planned to 
try the trail through Tuckerman’s ravine, this year, if 
mother will let me. I’ve got a regular climber’s kit. 
Wish you boys were going, too!” 

“We’ll be at Nantucket,” Arthur volunteered. 
“Father’s promised to let me go blue-fishing all I want. 
My uncle has a cat-boat there. Hope I’ll catch some- 
thing.” 

“You’ll catch, all right,” Sid said teasingly. “Just 
reason with the blues, as you do with us. Art. They’ll 
jump for the hook, you see if they don’t!” 


A SALE 


161 


Funny, I don’t think!” was all the rise Sid’s jibe 
provoked. 

Guess we’ll all be away during August,” one of the 
other boys remarked. ^‘Father says I can have the old 
bam when we get up to the farm. I intend to fix it up 
for a workshop. The carpenter in the village is to put 
in a regular bench for me. I’ll beat you all hollow in 
shop, next year!” 

‘^Shop!” Carter exclaimed suddenly. ^‘Well, did you 
ever! We all need memory lessons! When are we going 
to sell our shop work? No use waiting until fall when 
there are all sorts of things doing. Besides, there are 
crowds of summer people on the Island right now. 
Almost everybody has company. I counted two dozen 
visitors in church last Simday.” 

“Are you official score-keeper?” Arthur asked point- 
edly, but Carter refused to answer. 

“Why not have it to-day?” Johnny demanded. 

“Can’t possibly,” was the decisive reply. “We’ve got 
to tell everybody about it, or we won’t have any buyers. 
But we can arrange it for Saturday afternoon, all right. 
We’ve got to: it’s our last chance! We’ll all have to 
get busy though, and advertise it. Don’t forget, now. 
You’ll have your work cut out after Saturday, Mr. 
Treasurer Armstrong,” he added jokingly, to Sid. “Get 
your strong box ready for the proceeds. I think the sale 
will be lots of fun.” 

‘‘So do I!” the rest agreed, and the matter was 
settled. 

“Poky old day, isn’t it?” Carter commented with a 


162 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


yawn, a few moments later. stunt you to walk on 

the hedge, Sid!^' 

‘‘You don’t dare do it yourself,” Sid replied tantaliz- 
ingly. “You know you don’t!” 

“Bet I do!” Carter was roused by the taunt. “Just 
watch me.” 

“All right!” Sid drawled, “but I won’t have to hold 
my breath until you succeed, will I? I don’t want to 
die young.” 

Stung by the sarcasm. Carter scrambled to the top of 
the high fence which formed the dividing line between 
the Carrolls’ garden and that of their neighbors’ back of 
them. On the Grants’ side of the fence, the barrier was 
enforced by a wide hedge at least eight feet high. It 
was really an unusually fine specimen of its kind, the 
pride of Mrs. Grant’s heart. The boys had never been 
told not to walk upon it simply because the thought of 
their ever wanting to do such a thing had never occurred 
to either Mrs. Carroll or Mrs. Grant. Nevertheless, they 
had often longed to test its smooth, apparently unbroken 
top, to see whether it would really bear their weight. 

Carter remembered that his mother was taking lunch 
with Mrs. Harper, but from his high perch on the fence 
he cast a wary glance at the windows of the other house 
before starting on his uncertain journey. Just as he 
was about to step over on to the hedge he stopped short 
and stood staring into the Grants’ garden, his eyes glisten- 
ing with surprise. 

“Go on! go on!” Sid urged, not knowing the cause 
of his hesitation. “I dare you to do it! Pshaw! don’t be 
a quitter!” 


A SALE 


163 


“ Sh ! Carter whispered back peremptorily. Whew ! 
See who^s here! Such a lay-out! Um-m-m! It makes 
my mouth water to look at it!’’ 

^‘What?” ‘^Where?” ‘^Who is it?” ^'Here, let me 
see!” 

Instantly the fence swarmed with the boys all gazing 
curiously into the other garden. There was silence for 
a moment while they took in the sight before them, then 
a chorus of exclamations arose. 

“Ah-h-h-h!” 

It was indeed a tempting vision upon which they 
gazed, so near and yet so far. Two long tables covered 
with fresh white tissue-paper cloths stood on the lawn 
beneath them, each table carefully draped with a large 
piece of mosquito netting, and one of them further hidden 
under sheets of wrapping paper. The one nearest the 
hedge held glasses of jelly, jars of pickles and preserves, 
bottles of catsups and chili sauce, and even small pots 
of Boston baked beans all luscious and brown on top, 
with a bit of crisp salt pork forming a delectable moun- 
tain in the middle. The other table whose paper cover- 
ing they cautiously pushed off with a long branch, bore 
a still more tempting burden, — cakes of all kinds, cook- 
ies, doughnuts, and pretty little heart and diamond 
shaped dainties iced in pink, white, or ’green; wedges of 
gingerbread and loaves of nut and spice cake; large 
layer cakes with maple and nuts, or chocolate and marsh- 
mallows for decoration — all evidently ‘‘home-made.” 
There was also a dish of fudge and one of salted nuts. No 
wonder the row on the fence stood in fascinated silence. 


164 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^‘And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,’^ 
until Johnny cleared up the mystery. 

There ^s nobody home at the GrantsV^ he declared, 
breaking the silence at last. ^‘They’ve all gone over to 
Hoboken to meet their cousins from England.’^ 

‘‘How do you know?” Carter questioned eagerly. 

“Because I do,” Johnny persisted positively. “I was 
there on an errand for mother when the telegram came. 
They were not expecting their cousins until to-morrow, 
but they^d left word at the dock to be notified as soon 
as the steamer reached Quarantine. I carried over those 
two jars of citron preserves there at the end of the table. 
See them? It^s a dream, I can tell you, that citron! 
I like it better than candied pineapple.” 

“ Queer what they are going to do with all this, though,” 
Sid said, in wondering tones. “It don’t look like a 
luncheon, or even a lawn party, does it?” 

“I know what it’s for,” Carter declared suddenly. 
“I heard Mrs. Grant speak to mother about it last week. 
It’s for a sale, — a fair, you know. The girls begged all 
those things from the neighbors. See that plate of dough- 
nuts? We smelt them frying this very morning, but we 
couldn’t find them anywhere, could we, Sid?” 

“Nope!” Sid replied shortly. 

“That’s one of our cook’s cakes, I know,” Arthur 
pointed to a large loaf of fruit cake edged with halves 
of walnuts. 

“Ho! English walnuts!” Sid commented teasingly; 
“pretty good for the ‘I.’s!’” 

“It’s pretty good for anybody, let me tell you,” Arthur 


A SALE 


165 


asserted in aggressive expectation of a denial. ^‘1 guess 
I ought to know.” 

Don't get excited, Art,” Sid advised pacifically. 
^^That cake looks good enough to eat!” 

“I think this thing's a snap,” Arthur went on, com- 
plainingly. ‘‘Why can't we beg a lot of stuff and have 
a sale? It would give our treasurer something to do.” 

“You seem to be worried about ‘our treasurer,"' Sid 
flashed back promptly. He was not aggressive but he 
and Arthur often wrangled. The latter was really a 
manly boy, and good at heart, but he had the unfortunate 
knack of getting on his friends' nerves, even when he was 
proposing the most sensible measures. As the other 
boys declared: “It is n't what Art says, but the way he 
says it!” 

“The money won't be theirs. Art,” Carter explained. 
“They are going to give it to the ‘Sunshine Society."' 

“What's the ‘Sunshine Society'?” several voices 
demanded. 

“Oh, it's a club that makes a business of finding out 
what sick people, — the ‘shut-ins,' you know — want, 
then they try to get it for them. People ask for the 
queerest things sometimes, and they usually get them, 
too, if the Society can manage it. I had to take a cake 
over to the club for mother, last month, and the secretary 
of the ‘Sunshine Society' was there telling the ladies 
all about it. What do you think two people wrote to 
them for, one time? You'd never guess! Field glasses!” 

“Field glasses?” the rest repeated in astonishment. 

“Yes, sir! The Society advertised the request and 


166 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


six pairs of glasses were sent in; good ones, too, the 
secretary said. Just for fun she wrote to the two people, 
when she sent the glasses, and asked why they wanted 
them. One answer came from a crippled woman who 
had to stay on a couch all day. She said that her sister 
raised turkeys, and if she had the glasses she could keep 
watch when they tried to stray off. You know they 
do that all the time.^^ 

'^And what did the other woman want with them?.’^ 
Johnny asked, while the rest listened with interest. 

'‘The other was an old colored man who was so lame 
from rheumatism he could nT work. He said that he 
had always been 'powerful' fond of baseball, and that 
if he had the field glasses he could climb on his wood- 
shed roof and see the games in a park near his home." 

"Hurrah for the old darky!" Sid ejaculated admir- 
ingly. "That shows good sense on his part, I think." 

"But he might have put in his time better than watch- 
ing baseball games, it seems to me," Arthur objected, 
just for the pleasure of disagreeing with Sid. 

"Look here. Art!" Sid was in earnest now: his dark 
eyes fiashed angrily. "Are you going to keep this 
up? If so, I hope you '11 see Nantucket even sooner 
than you expect to." 

"Art 's not feeling first-rate to-day," Johnny remarked 
mildly. "He 'd better go to bed and get out with the 
other foot. Perhaps the run he did n't make yesterday, 
tired him all out." 

This thrust from Johnny the peaceable was so un- 
usual that even Arthur joined in the laugh that greeted 


A SALE 


167 


it, and after that the boy really made an effort to throw 
off his ill-humor. 

“It seems a pity all those things have to lie there 
and spoil, doesn’t it?” Carter remarked thoughtfully. 
“They ought to be sold while they ’re perfectly 
fresh.” 

“Guess that ’s what the girls intended to do,” Johnny 
agreed, “until the telegram came. They must have 
forgotten all about them, because they scarcely had 
time to make the next ferry. They started out on a 
run, I know. Of course, they would n’t want to miss 
seeing their cousins’ steamer dock.” 

“I don’t see how they can get back from Hoboken 
early enough to have a sale,” Sid ventured, tentatively. 
“It takes a steamer longer than you think to get up the 
river and into her pier.” 

“Sid means that the things ought to be sold now,” 
one of the others declared frankly; “and I think so too. 
That ^Sunshine Society’ must be a mighty good thing, 
and they need all the money they can get. It ’s a shame 
to waste a cent.” 

“Probably the ^I. ’s’ wouldn’t care who sells the 
things as long as they get the money,” was Johnny’s 
contribution to the turning tide. “ I should think they ’d 
be glad to have the work done for them.” 

“So should I,” several voices chorused, but Carter 
recalled Ida’s snapping black eyes and decisive ways, 
and held his peace. Like the Scotchman, he had his 
“douts”! Besides he was the nearest neighbor and 
would see more of the girls than the others. 


168 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


“Are you sure the Grants are all away?’' Sid asked 
cautiously. 

“Yep!” Johnny’s response was positive. “Saw 
them go. They must be on the ferry by this time. Their 
Sarah ’s out, too — it ’s Thursday, you know.” 

“Where ’s Mr. Buttinsky? ” Sid persisted. Vivid recol- 
lections of former frays gave an anxious ring to his 
voice. 

“He ’s tied under the back piazza,” Johnny answered; 
“so he won’t he able to assist us.” 

The boys smiled involuntarily. At some time or 
other they had most of them had the benefit of the 
“assistance” mentioned by Johnny. Their interest 
in the goat was one which distance enhanced most 
decidedly. 

“We haven’t a thing to do all day to-day,” Johnny 
went on in casual tones: “we might as well help the 
girls as not.” 

“But what if they don’t like what we ’ve done, what 
then?” Arthur inquired anxiously. 

“Guess they can’t help themselves,” Sid replied with 
a shrug of indifference. “But they ought to be grate- 
ful to us, I think, for taking such an interest.” 

Carter’s account of the “Sunshine Society” had ap- 
pealed mightily to the boys and undoubtedly part of 
their enthusiasm arose from their interest in its work. 
But the delicacies spread out so temptingly before them 
appealed even more mightily. They were possessed 
with an almost irresistible desire to handle the things. 
Besides, it really seemed a pity to defer the sale: some 


A SALE 


169 


of the articles would lose their first freshness. By clever 
argument they tried to convince themselves that they 
owed it to the as well as to the Society, to con- 

duct the sale in their absence; and they almost suc- 
ceeded — but not quite! 

One by one they vaulted over the intervening hedge. 
This first step taken, the rest seemed easy, and a few 
moments later they were bustling about like a hive of 
bees. Soon they became so interested in their novel 
undertaking that they completely forgot that they 
were interlopers, and that their services had not been 
requested. 

After some argument they decided that the empty 
lot next to one of the churches (not their own) would 
be the best place from a business point of view. It was 
some distance away, but was on one of the main streets 
not far from the stores. Also it was not a block fre- 
quented by people of their neighborhood, neither was 
it on the direct route from the ferry. These advantages 
were not mentioned openly, but they entered largely 
into the choice of the site. 

Just as this matter was decided, Jim drove by with 
a friendly fiourish of his whip towards the boys. A bright 
idea occurred to Carter and he ran shouting after him. 

“Hey, there! Jim! Oh, Jim! Wait a minute!^' 

Jim obligingly pulled up and Carter preferred his 
modest request. 

“Please help us get this stuff over to the lot next to 
the church, wonT you? We ’re in an awful hurry.” 

The young man hesitated. He was in a hurry too. 


170 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


but on the other hand it was Carter Carroll who was 
asking the favor and Minnie lived with the Carrolls. 

havenT much time to spare this morning/’ he 
began regretfully, but Carter interrupted him. 

^Ht won’t take long with all of us to do it,” he as- 
sured him, pointing to the crowd of boys waiting near 
the tables. ‘^We ’ll do the loading and unloading: it ’s 
just getting the things over to the lot that bothers us. 
Thank you, Jim, ever so much.” 

The boys were as good as their word. The things 
were all in order in the place chosen for the sale in less 
than half an hour, and Jim drove away with the pleased 
feeling that in helping Carter he had commended 
himself to Minnie. He learned differently later, 
when his angry sweetheart championed the girls’ 
cause. 

Some of the boys set to work to arrange their tooth- 
some stock as attractively as possible, while others pre- 
pared the advertisements, and soon had several posters 
printed with blue pencil, ready for the fence nearest the 
street. Meanwhile Carter, cap in hand and best com- 
pany manners on, presented himself at the door of the 
Sunday School through which several ladies had passed, 
and asked to see the lady in charge. When she pre- 
sented herself, he explained his errand in such an en- 
gaging way that the ladies commented on it afterwards: 
^^Such perfect manners!” ^^A gentleman, every inch of 
him!” 

^^We are holding a sale in the lot next door,” he ex- 
plained smilingly: “just our club of boys, you know; 


A SALE 


171 


and we thought you would like to see the things we 're 
going to sell before they 're all picked over." 

^^Why, that's good of you," the lady answered, 
smilingly. She was a big, motherly looking woman 
who had boys of her own. ^^What are you selling? 
Flowers? It 's not a good season for them just 
now, I 'm afraid. We all have too many in our own 
gardens." 

Yes, ma'am, I know, but it 's a good season for our 
line," was the prompt response. ‘^You see when ladies 
want to go to the beaches and to Coney Island, they 're 
always glad to be able to buy home-made cakes and 
jellies and things. And people on Staten Island have 
so much company in beach season, don't you think 
so?" 

Home-made?" the lady echoed. ‘^We'll surely 
have to see your things if that's the case. Why, I 
couldn't get a bit of baking done to-day because I 
had to come to this meeting. There '11 be another meet- 
ing later: all the Sunday School teachers to talk picnic. 
If your sale is really home-made things, as you say, you 
ought to dispose of them in a hurry. I '11 tell the rest 
of the Auxiliary ladies, and we '11 come over to take a 
peep before the other meeting begins." 

Carter thanked her, and hurried back. When he 
reached the tables he found that everything was in 
order, and several large advertisements printed on sheets 
of wrapping paper decorated the fence-posts and even 
the trees on the pavement. 


172 THE CAPTAIN OF THE “S. I. G.’S 


SALE TO-DAY! 

Home-made Good Things! 

Prices Keasonable! 

Come and buy and help a Good Cause! 

Come early and avoid the rush! 

FOR SALE — Pickles, preserves, jellies, 
Cakes, pies, baked beans. 

Rolls and biscuit. 

Fudge and salted nuts. 

Why Bake when you can Buy? 

The boys found that everything had been well planned 
by the “L’s.” A box beneath one of the tables con- 
tained wrapping paper, another string, and, best of all, 
each article for sale had a price distinctly marked upon 
a slip of paper and fastened to it. This took the heaviest 
burden from their minds: they would have found it 
hard to set the proper prices on the things. 

Just as the finishing touches were put to the tables, 
the side door of the church opened and a stream of 
ladies poured out, and, thanks to Carter’s foresight, 
headed straight for the waiting salesmen. They swarmed 
about the tables, examining and discussing the articles, 
and “talking a blue streak,” as Arthur expressed it 
afterwards. 

“Are you sure everything ’s home-made?” 


A SALE 


173 


''What the sale for?’^ 

"WLat put such an idea into your heads? 

"Where did you get such lovely things?” 

The boys answered the questions as well as they 
could, and praised their wares with true business volu- 
bility. 

"H^m! sixty cents!” one lady commented, looking 
longingly at the Boynton fruit-cake. "That seems 
awful high for such a small loaf, but I suppose it ^s not 
so much with eggs and butter at the price they are, to 
say nothing of a fuss in the kitchen every time you ask for 
extra baking. You could n^t sell it any cheaper, could 
you?” she ventured insinuatingly. 

"No, ma^am,” Carter answered in his best manner. 
"The prices are as fixed as the laws of the Medes and 
Persians.” 

"Oh!” the lady exclaimed, not having the faintest 
idea as to who the Medes and Persians were, and fear- 
ing to display her ignorance. "I see! Well, I ^11 take it.” 

WTien the boys first examined the articles, the prices 
had almost taken their breath away, but they had wisely 
resolved to stick to them, and they soon found that 
home-made dainties sell whether times are hard or not. 
In fact they learned that most of their customers con- 
sidered themselves fortunate in having such a chance. 

Several of the large cakes were sold in halves, and 
the cutting, with two critical customers watching every 
move, was a nerve-racking operation, but the boys went 
at it in too serious a manner to allow of any objections. 
By this time they had come to consider it their own 


174 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 

sale, whose proceeds were also to be theirs to present 
to the Sunshine Society/^ 

Sid almost met his Waterloo in a thin, sharp-faced 
seeker after a mocha cake. 

^^Who made it, do you know?^' the lady demanded. 
'Wery few people can make a real mocha tart properly.^' 

Sid did not know, and none of the other boys re- 
membered,^^ and the lady viewed them suspiciously for 
a moment, but finally compromised by calmly cutting 
out a wedge of the cake as a sample. It evidently proved 
satisfactory even without the maker^s name, because 
she smacked her lips appreciatively and departed with 
her purchase held as though it were labeled: ''Glass. 
This side up with care!^’ 

The boys worked away with a will. Only once was 
one of them caught napping, and that was when Carter 
asked a question of Johnny and failed to obtain any 
answer. 

"Did you, Johnny? he repeated, this time receiving 
an indistinct "M-m-m’’ by way of reply. He glanced 
suspiciously towards the boy and saw that he was stand- 
ing directly back of the fudge dish. 

"None of that!” he warned sharply. "This is a 
business venture, remember, and we Ve got to turn in 
as much as we possibly can. You ought to hear my 
mother tell of a big concert she went to, in New York. 
It was for some charity, and the tickets were two dol- 
lars each. Mother says they had a good program, then 
they served light refreshments and presented each lady 
with a long-stemmed rose.” 


A SALE 


176 


Johnny asked defiantly. 

‘^Oh, nothing! only the hall was crowded with people 
and what do you think they sent to the charity? Exactly 
twenty-seven dollars! No long-stemmed roses here, 
please, nor light-fingered salesmen either,’^ he ended 
decisively. We ’ll put that fudge in the center of 
the table and — ” 

'^No, don’t,” Sid interrupted; ‘^let ’s buy it ourselves. 
There ’s a lot of it, and it ’s only twenty-five cents. 
It ’s good, too.” 

^^How do you know?” Carter inquired suspiciously. 

‘^It looks good,” Sid corrected himself. ‘‘I’m hun- 
gry. It ’s no joke to stand over all this and not get any 
of it. There comes the crowd from the other meeting. 
Say, Johnny, don’t you sell those two glasses of currant 
jelly, do you hear? I want those for mother. She 
couldn’t make any this year, and she just loves it. 
You mark them sold. I ’ll get you the fifty cents as soon 
as we reach home. Don’t forget, now.” 

This started the rest, and it ended by the management 
itself purchasing quite a stock of home favorites, rolls 
and doughnuts, jellies and pickles. Possibly they in- 
tended to use the things as peace-offerings, if necessary. 
Several automobiles on their way to Philadelphia and 
the various Jersey coast resorts also stopped, their 
owners glad to provide for feasts en route. By three 
o’clock everything was sold. 

The boys had worked hard, not one of them deserting 
even at lunch time: in fact that was their busiest hour. 
As they took up the homeward march, swinging the 


176 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


light tables between them, the cash box which Sid car- 
ried held a considerable sum, a sum that tallied exactly 
with the amount of the slips which had all been saved. 

Strange to say each boy seemed to remember some 
pressing engagement as soon as the Carrolls^ was reached. 
Only their desire to help the good work of the had 

enabled them to postpone their duties as long as they 
had. For once in his life Johnny seemed really anxious 
to get to the dentist’s. But before they made good 
their escape Mrs. Carroll came to her window and spoke 
to them. 

Where have you been, boys?” she demanded eagerly. 
‘^1 Ve tried several times to find you because I wanted 
you to help the ^I.’s.’ Poor girls! they had everything 
ready for a lawn sale this afternoon, and some one has 
stolen all their goodies. They had to go over to meet 
their cousins from England this morning. They made 
Sarah promise to take the things into the house but 
she forgot it. They ’re dreadfully disappointed because 
they ’ve worked hard for a week, collecting the things.” 

‘‘Are their cousins here now?” Carter inquired anx- 
iously. 

'^No! they are going West first. That’s why the 
girls hurried over to see them. They are to stop here 
on their return, though. Now hurry and see what you 
can do for them. It ’s a shame! I suppose it ’s only 
some joke, but it ’s a pretty earnest matter for the girls.” 

The boys shifted about uneasily, each waiting for the 
other to speak. The arguments they had used to per- 
suade themselves sounded fiat somehow or other. Some- 


A SALE 


177 


thing in their attitudes, or in their unusual silence, 
finally struck Mrs. Carroll as ominous. She studied the 
little group intently for a moment. 

‘‘So you are the guilty ones!” she said. 

Instantly there arose a storm of denials and expla- 
nations. 

“Don’t all speak at once, please,” she commanded 
sternly. “Carter, what have you done? Tell me!” 

“Why, the girls had to go to town, you know, and 
the things were all ready, and — and we thought they ’d 
spoil if they had to wait until to-morrow, some of them, 
at least, so we — we — ” 

“Well?” Mrs. Carroll leaned forward anxiously, 
never taking her eyes from her boy’s face. It hurt her 
to have him and his friends guilty of an unmanly action. 
She never objected to fun, but this was going too far. 
“Well?” she demanded again, her tone sharp from 
dread of what he might say. 

“So we sold the things for them,” he added slowly. 

“Oh!” the exclamation was one of relief: it was not 
as bad as she had feared at first. 

“How could you disappoint them so?” she asked 
earnestly. “After all their work, too.” 

“They ought to be mighty glad to have it done for 
them,” Arthur explained virtuously. “We ’ve wasted 
most of the morning and part of the afternoon just to 
help them out. We worked harder than we expect to 
do at our own sale on Saturday.” 

“And it don’t matter who sells the things as long as 
they ’re sold, you know,” Johnny assured her earnestly. 


178 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. G/S’’ 

knew they wanted the money for the ^Sunshine 
Society/ and we Ve got exactly the amount on the slips, 
have n^t we, Sid? 0. K. to a penny! 

Yes, we have, Mrs. Carroll,'' Sid confirmed Johnny's 
statement. 

'm glad of that," Mrs. Carroll remarked quietly. 
^^You may carry the money over to them and explain 
why you took charge of the sale." 

‘‘But — but — " Carter fairly stammered in his 
eagerness, “we thought you'd do that, now that you 
know why we — we helped them out. They won't care, 
as long as they get the money. Will you, mother?" 

“All right," she replied with unexpected willingness. 
She knew that the culprits ought to take their medicine, 
but she did not think it wise to administer the dose just 
then. “I'll tell them that you knew they didn't care 
about the sale except to get the money. I hope they'll 
understand. Bring the box to me, Sid, and if you and 
Carter are hungry you'll find peaches in the basket, and 
some coffee cake in the kitchen. There is plenty of milk 
in the refrigerator, if you care to have it. Minnie 's out, 
so you'll have to wait upon yourselves." 

With that she shut the window, a somewhat grim 
smile upon her face. 

“Say," one of the boys remarked admiringly, “your 
mother 's all right. Car! I thought she was going to 
give us Hail Columbia. Mine would have, I know; 
she's not so easy." 

But Carter was silent. He knew his mother better 
than the speaker, and he had detected a twinkle in her 


A SALE 


179 


eyes while the boys were stating their views upon the 
selling question, which meant mischief. He knew that 
she was very fond of the and their friends. He 

also knew that she despised deceit; but he said nothing 
of his fears to the others. After the money had been 
handed over, he and Sid made a raid upon the pantry 
and the refrigerator, then departed for the school courts. 
The had a court of their own so that there was 

no danger of encountering them there; for in spite of 
their good intentions, neither of the boys cared, just 
then, to meet the girls. It was one thing to explain 
their action satisfactorily to themselves, but to explain 
it to the girls — well, that was another story! 


CHAPTER XIII 


Mrs. Harper^s Gift 

The I. G/s’’ spent Friday in preparing for their 
own sale which was to be held in the tent on Saturday 
at three o^clock. They posted notices on the fence, and 
telephoned every one they knew whom there was the 
slightest hope of interesting. In addition to this, nine 
boys talked ^‘sale^’ until the whole neighborhood was 
aware of the proposed function. 

‘‘Oh, yes! I’ll come over in time,” Mr. Carroll 
promised. “Saturday’s a half holiday, anyway. You 
boys must be expert salesmen by this time. Your 
mother tells me you conducted a sale yesterday, too. 
It’s a pity you won’t have a chance to — what’s the 
matter, dear?” he inquired abruptly, turning to his wife. 

“Do you think it is going to rain? ” she asked pointedly. 

“I — why — oh! I see! No, I think it will be fair,” 
he replied, and hastily changed the subject. 

Before eight o’clock the next morning the boys were 
busily at work cleaning out their headquarters, and 
sweeping and dusting the few articles of furniture it 
contained, and by eleven o’clock everything was in 
order. A cosy-corner had been arranged at the back of 
the tent. It looked very inviting with its gay striped 
cover and many colored pillows. A number of chairs 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 


181 


were placed about the entrance to the tent, and their 
handiwork was arranged on a long table through the 
middle, leaving room for prospective purchasers to walk 
about and examine the articles for sale. This arrange- 
ment seemed a better one than tables at the sides of 
the tent. The articles made a very good showing. 
Each was carefully ticketed to announce both its maker 
and its price. Profiting by their experience at the 
other sale they had plenty of wrapping paper and string 
in readiness. 

‘‘Don’t it look great, though?” Johnny asked enthusi- 
astically, as the boys stood in a group at the entrance, 
to view the general effect. 

“That cosy-corner scheme of mine is a pretty good 
stunt,” Carter said in self-congratulatory tones. “No- 
body would believe it was just our old cot, would they? 
It makes the place look like a studio, I think.” 

“Yep!” was the general assent, until Arthur got his 
second wind. 

“But you have to have pictures in a studio,” he 
informed them largely, “or at least sculptured things.” 

“Oh! you don’t say!” Sid commented laughingly. 
“You’d scarce expect one of your age, to be so very, 
very sage.” 

“Well, anyhow, a studio — ” Arthur was beginning 
argumentatively, when Carter hummed lightly: “Has 
nothing to do with the case, tra-la! Look here. Art, a 
rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so call it 
anything you please.” But Arthur kept quiet out of 
sheer disgust. 


182 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


The boys lay about on the grass too eager for the 
afternoon’s plan to start anything that morning. It 
was too hot for tennis, or so they said; and they did not 
care to begin a ball game for so short a time. While 
they were talking in a desultory way, the expressman 
drove up to the Harpers’ and departed a few moments 
later with two steamer trunks and a large wardrobe 
trunk. The boys watched him in silence. 

^^I hope it will do her good,” Sid said at last. 

'^So do I,” the others answered quietly but fervently, 
for early the following week Mr. and Mrs. Harper were 
to sail for Germany, where the latter was to be treated 
by a famous doctor in the hope of regaining her health. 
The trip had been decided upon very suddenly. 

'^I wish we could give her something to remember 
us by,” Carter said hesitatingly. She’s always been 
so interested in our club, and in everything we do.” 

'^Why can’t we?” Johnny asked, jumping up eagerly. 
‘^We are all fond of her, you know we are; and we’re 
not ashamed of it either. Let’s get her some sort of 
a keepsake.” 

People mostly get flowers or fruit when they are 
starting on a trip abroad,” Arthur suggested. 

^^Yes, and cushions marked ^Bon Voyage,’” Johnny 
added. His French education had not yet begun, and 
his pronunciation of the familiar good wish would have 
made a native stare in surprise. 

'^We don’t want to get her fruit or flowers,” Carter 
decided. ‘^They’re no good after a day or two. I’d 
rather give her something that would last.” 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 


183 


“That^s what I say, too,'’ Sid agreed. '^We might 
get her one of those cushions with Bon — whatever it 
is on it, or a book, perhaps, or — or — " 

“She's fond of pets," Johnny interrupted. “I wonder 
if we could get her a little monkey like Peek-a-Boo." 

“You're a little monkey," Carter remarked scornfully. 
“People who are going abroad don't care to drag pets 
about with them. Might as well give her a white ele- 
phant, and be done with it." 

“I think a book's a nice present, just as Sid said," 
Arthur remarked, for once agreeing with Sid, “if we 
could only find out what kind of a book she cares 
for." 

“Or we might get her a string of pearl beads or a 
ring, or something of that sort," one of the other boys 
suggested. “It depends on how much we have to 
spend for it." 

“That's so," Sid agreed promptly. “Well, we've got 
just the same old two dollars we've had all along. The 
odd change went towards the balls, you remember. I 
suppose we can't use any of this afternoon's money, 
can we?" 

“No!" Carter shook his head decidedly. “Anyway, 
we go early Monday morning, so we've got to get what- 
ever we decide on to-day. That's the trouble, there's 
not much choice here on the Island." 

As he spoke old Paula came to a halt in front of the 
gate, and little old Peek-a-Boo jumped up on the fence, 
bowing solemnly, cap in hand. 

“Here's where we get ^Rock-a-Bye Baby' or some 


184 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


other up-to-date musical number/^ Sid remarked with 
laughing sarcasm, when, to their surprise, the old fellow 
broke forth into one of the popular songs, and soon 
they were all jigging about singing “Harrigan — that’s 
me!” at the top of their voices. No one would have 
thought that the mercury stood high in the tube if they 
judged by the scene at that moment. 

Mrs. Harper was busily directing her maids as to the 
packing of bric-a-brac and books, but she stopped to 
listen to the boyish chorus. 

Bless their hearts!” she said softly. ‘^I’ll miss my 
nine tonics!” 

After Paula’s departure, the argument about the gift 
for Mrs. Harper was resumed, and the discussion was 
becoming decidedly warm when a young man strolled 
up the avenue, looking inquiringly from side to side. 
The instant he saw the tent, the boys, and the dog, he 
came to a halt, and placing the large square object he 
was carrying carefully upon the pavement, he leaned his 
arms upon the fence and grinned cheerfully. 

Hello, boys!” was the hearty greeting that followed 
the grin. He was a broad-shouldered, frank-faced young 
fellow, not much more than a boy himself. 

Hello!” came the reply, as they eyed the man and 
his burden curiously. Nine responsive grins accompanied 
the greeting. 

You ’re a great bunch,” he vouchsafed with a big 
hearty laugh. Don’t you want your pictures taken 
to-day? Surprise your mothers, my lads: let ’em see 
how handsome you all are. I’d like to take you. One 


MRS. HARPER’S GIFT 


185 . 


of you may be President some day — never can tell, 
you know! How about it?” 

About being President, do you mean?” Carter asked, 
smiling broadly. 

‘^No, sir! about the picture! I’ll do a good one for 
you. None of your unfinished films for me! Not much! 
not if my name ’s Jared Spearman, which it is, at your 
service. If your mothers don’t care for the picture, 
have n’t you got some right little, bright little girl that 
would like one?” 

At that an idea flashed into Carter’s mind. He spoke 
to the others in a whisper for a few minutes, then walked 
towards the fence. 

^^Look here,” he began earnestly, ^'what will you 
charge to take us all in one picture? It will have to be 
a good one, though, or we don’t want it.” 

It ’ll be a good one or none at all,” the man answered 
positively. 

^‘But we’ve got to have it right away,” Carter went 
on. You see, it’s for a present to a lady that’s going 
away. And we’re all going too, on Monday. Could 
you finish it off to-day, do you think? It’s good and 
sunny.” 

^‘I tell you what I can do for you,” the man explained, 
after a few moments’ thought. '^An old friend of mine 
has the photograph gallery in the village. He only does 
ping-pongs, so I don’t interfere with his business, see? 
He’ll let me finish off at his place, this afternoon, if I 
ask him, as long as it’s a special case.” 

‘^But how much?” Carter asked eagerly. 


186 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Twenty-five cents apiece/^ was the prompt response. 

That's cheap for good work." 

Nine boys became calculators on the lightning order 
(more or less), and nine hearts beat with the joyful 
certainty that they could bring him down to their limit, 
when the amount set was so near. And the young fellow 
gave in with hearty good nature when they explained 
that two dollars represented the sum of their worldly 
wealth as a club. 

‘^All right! It's a go!" he agreed cheerfully as he 
arranged them in a group. ^'Look pleasant, now. We'll 
make this a picture as is a picture." 

The boys stood up looking as stiff as tin soldiers. 
From their appearance they might possibly have smiled 
in the past, but they certainly never intended to do it 
again. 

Don't look as solemn as a funeral," he shouted 
finally, in genuine anger, after he had laughed and told 
funny stories until he was tired, while the boys only 
looked stiff er and more solemn than ever. Limber up, 
I tell you! Limber up! Have you all got ramrods 
down your backs! Haven't you ever heard of the 
smile that won't come off? If I had a few of them now 
I'd glue them on all right." 

At this, a sickly-looking ghost of a smile appeared on 
one or two faces, but disappeared almost as quickly as 
it came. The man stamped up and down furiously. 

^^Here! here! here! This won't do! It won't do, I 
tell you! I'm not going to take a picture of a gang of 
convicts about to be executed. Put some ginger into 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 


187 


it, can^t you? The way you fellows look is enough to 
break my camera. I’ll have to dangle a dolly, or have 
a little bird peep out, like they do for the babies.” 

While the man was scolding away, rubber bulb 
in hand, Arthur Boynton remembered a doughnut that 
he had hidden in his pocket when he got up to pose for 
the picture. As he felt for it and stealthily carried it to 
his mouth, it slipped from his grasp and rolled along 
the pavement. Dixie had watched its progress with 
unwavering gaze. Like a flash he pounced upon it. 
Instantly the boys became alive, alert, interested. 
Broad smiles appeared on each face as Dixie made short 
work of his treasure trove. 

Suddenly there was a click from the camera, and the 
picture was taken! 

“Now that’s something like a picture!” the man 
exclaimed in satisfied tones. “Those were real live boys, 
not a row of broom-sticks with trousers on ’em. I guess 
I’ll have to take the little brown dog too, for helping 
me out. He’s in the other picture, but I’ll make him 
one all by his little lonesome, and make you a present 
of it.” 

At the photographer’s request Carter stepped up near 
the camera and snapped his fingers, and when the small 
dog looked up, alert and ready to spring towards him, 
there was another click, and he too was taken. 

The man hurried away promising to bring back the 
picture before dark that evening, and the boys scattered 
to get lunch and dress for the afternoon. It was after 
one o’clock, as the posing had taken longer than they 


188 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


realized. Lunch had been waiting for some time, but 
Mrs. Carroll saw what they were doing and refused to 
interfere by calling them. When the two rushed 
in as hungry as hunters, she was all ready for the after- 
noon, looking very pretty and dainty in a white em- 
broidered linen gown, and a big white panama hat 
draped with a gay striped scarf which Sid^s mother had 
sent from abroad. 

Hurry, boys,’^ she admonished them, ‘‘or 1^11 be 
late. I expect some of the people here rather early, and 
that reminds me,^’ she added carelessly. “I want you 
to ride down to Stapleton this afternoon. 

They stared at her in speechless surprise for an instant. 
If she had said, “I want you to ride to Mars this after- 
noon,’^ they could scarcely have received the request 
with greater astonishment. 

“To Stapleton!” Carter ejaculated finally, when he 
had recovered sufficiently to speak at all. “Why, 
mother, we can’t possibly go to Stapleton this afternoon.” 

“My watch is being regulated at the jeweler’s there,” 
Mrs. Carroll explained quietly, “and we start for the 
lakes so early on Monday there’ll be no time to get it 
then. I cannot possibly do without it for a whole month, 
and I don’t care to pay extra to have it expressed to 
me when it is not necessary.” 

“But it is necessary!” Carter burst forth emphatically. 
“My back tire’s flat — it’s got a big puncture in it; 
I’m not going to have it fixed until we come home. It 
would take over an hour to go all the way to Stapleton 
and back in the car, and even longer to walk it. I’m 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 189 

sorry, mother.’^ He spoke as though the matter were 
settled. 

‘‘What if it takes two hours? his mother asked 
lightly. “You have the whole afternoon before you. 
Dinner will probably be a little later to-day, on account 
of the sale. I — oh! there come the girls now. I told 
them to be early. How do you do? Have you had 
your lunch?'' 

The “I. 's" and two of their girl friends fluttered in like 
gay butterflies, all laughing and talking at once. They 
kissed Mrs. Carroll and greeted Carter and Sid with the 
sweetest of little nods. Even Ida's was cordial, and the 
boys had rather dreaded their first meeting with her 
after Thursday's “helpfulness," but it seemed that 
their fears were without foundation. 

“Here are your badges, girls." 

Mrs. Carroll produced a small box as she spoke. It 
contained tiny bows of blue and white ribbon — the 
“S. I. G." colors — all ready to be fastened on with 
small safety pins. As she pinned one on each of the 
pretty gowns, she began giving them instructions which 
made Carter and Sid stare at her wildly, as though they 
doubted her sanity, or their own hearing. 

“Try to make all the sales you can, and don't change 
any of the prices, either. Put all the money 4nto the 
tin cash box, and also put the price slips in, so that the 
amount received will tally exactly with the amount of 
the slips. We must be business-like in anything of this 
sort, especially when we are working for others." 

“Yes, indeed," Ida agreed positively. “We'll be very 


190 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


careful about it, Mrs. Carroll. We’re anxious to make 
as much as possible.” 

^^And we’re interested in it, too,” Iva added, dimpling 
all over her rosy face, as she glanced shyly towards the 
boys. 

“Wh-what are the girls going to do?” Carter 
stammered anxiously. A dim suspicion was trying to 
make itself felt, but it was so preposterous that he 
refused to listen to its warning. 

^^They are having a sale this afternoon,” Mrs. Carroll 
answered, repressing a smile only by vigorous eJffort. 
thought you knew all about it.” 

^^What, another?” Sid exclaimed. ^'They’re rushing 
it. What is this one for? ^Sunshine Society’ again, or 
‘Fresh Air Fund’ ? ” 

“This one is for a club they are interested in,” was the 
noncommittal response. 

“Oh!” Carter breathed a sigh of relief. “Come on, 
Sid, we’ve got to rush or the people will be here before 
we’re dressed. Wish you luck, girls.” 

“Wait a moment. Car.” Mrs. Carroll’s voice was 
quiet, but decided. “You’ll need the ticket for the 
watch, and the money to pay for it. Excuse me, girls. 
Go right out to the tent: I’ll join you as soon as I get 
the boys off. And don’t forget that the tea-table Carter 
made is to be marked ‘Sold.’ I’ve bought that myself. 
I’ll give Ida the money as soon as I come out. I also 
want that book-rack of Sid’s saved for his mother. I’ll 
buy it for her.” 

“The tea-table Carter made!” “That book-rack of 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 


191 


Sid^s!’’ Two boyish faces turned red, then white, then 
red again. They said not one word until the girls had 
left the room. The shock seemed to have deprived them 
of the powers of speech. Finally Carter broke forth into 
a perfect stream of objection. 

^^But we don^t want any girls to help us! We're going 
to manage the thing ourselves. If we had wanted the 
girls we'd have asked them soon enough, you'd better 
believe. I'll let them know it, too, before I — " 

Gently, my son!" his mother warned him. ^^The 
girls are not helping — they are in charge of the sale. 
What does it matter who sells the things as long as they 
are sold? You ought to be glad to have them willing to 
take all the bother off your shoulders. They thought 
the object was a good one — you know they are inter- 
ested in the ^S. I. G.'s' because they like the members 
of the club so much — so they were willing to waste 
the afternoon for the sake of helping you out. You ought 
to be mighty glad to have it done for you. It does n't 
really matter who takes charge as long as the club 
receives the money." 

The words she used sounded familiar: both boys knew 
where they had been used before, but oh! what a differ- 
ent ring they had now! Without a word they turned to 
leave the room. At the door, Mrs. Carroll's voice stopped 
them. 

^^This is the first time I have had to punish my son 
and his friend for an act that was both unkind and un- 
manly," she said slowly and earnestly; ^^I trust it will 
be the last." 


192 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L G.’S 


The boys knew that the tables were turned, and hurried 
out to intercept the rest of the I. G/s/^ Their story 
was received with incredulity, anger, or amusement, 
according to the various natures of the listeners. After 
the matter was thoroughly discussed by the others, 
Arthur began and grumbled away mightily. 

“It^s an outrage, that’s what it is! Why, it’s stealing! 
Those are our things! We made them ourselves, and 
nobody has any right to touch them. If your mother 
thinks — ” he stopped short as Carter and Sid both 
squared away belligerently before him, but Johnny 
intervened in time to prevent any further hostilities. 

'^One — two — three — four — Yes, sir! there’s all 
eight of them there,” he announced, laughing gleefully; 
^^and Sid’s mother would make the ninth if she were 
home. Mrs. Harper’s her substitute I guess. Don’t 
say 'your mother,’ Art, say 'our mothers’! It’s one on 
us and we deserve it, so there. We feel mean because we 
wanted to sell the things ourselves, and I bet the girls 
felt just as mean last Thursday. We are seeing it from 
their point of view now, that’s all. It makes quite a 
difference, doesn’t it?” 

The rest accepted this philosophical view of the case. 
Under the circumstances they felt it beneath their 
dignity to hang aroimd near the tent so they tramped 
off to Stapleton in a body, secured the watch, indulged 
in an ice-cream soda all around, and tramped back again, 
their lacerated feelings so much soothed that they joined 
the girls with smiling faces instead of greeting them with 
scowls. They even listened to an account of the after- 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 


193 


noon’s experiences with a pretty good grace. A cash 
box was presented by Ida with the assurance that its 
amount tallied exactly with the amount of the tickets. 
While they were talking the matter over they heard a 
long whistle from the direction of the street, and there 
stood the camera man leaning on the fence, surveying 
the scene with twinkling eyes. 

^^Did you finish the picture?” ^^Is it good?” '^Are 
we all in it?” were some of the questions showered upon 
him as the boys hurried towards the fence, the girls 
followng with unconcealed curiosity. 

“It’s a winner, all right!” the man promptly assured 
them. “See for yourselves. Ask the young ladies what 
they think about it; they’re good judges.” 

With that he handed out two pictures, the first the 
one in which they were all watching Dixie as he sprang 
for the bit of doughnut; the second the one of Dixie alone. 
Both were unusually clear and well finished, and the 
likenesses were perfect. Both boys and girls swelled 
the chorus of appreciation, while the man studied the 
scene with an eye to business. 

“Those your mothers?” he asked Johnny quietly, 
indicating the group of ladies gathered around Mrs. 
Carroll’s new tea-table, drinking tea and eating crisp 
little cakes of Minnie’s manufacture. Johnny nodded 
and the man approached the ladies. Without a word 
he handed them copies of the pictures, and in less than 
fifteen minutes had received a number of orders. 

At first the boys started after him in alarm, not wish- 
ing to have him spoil their surprise, but they saw that 


194 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Mrs. Harper had left the group and was being escorted 
across the lawn by her husband and Mr. Carroll, so 
they let him alone. As he passed them again, on his 
way out, he showed them his order book. 

^^Ten orders, boys, with scarcely a word spoken. 
That^s business! Remember that your goods will talk 
louder than your tongues, if they are up to the mark. 
Don^t you forget that when you go into business. Good- 
bye! I Ve got to get back to the city, now: I’m about 
starved.” 

But Mrs. Carroll hurried up to the young man just 
as he was closing the gate, and urged him to take a cup 
of tea and some sandwiches before he left. He thanked 
her heartily and disposed of the lunch with an enjoy- 
ment that was very evident. 

^^I don’t often get home-made things now,” he told 
her laughingly. I ’m from the West, on a tramping trip 
for experience, during my vacation. Yes, I’m a college 
man,” he added in answer to the look of astonishment 
in her face. “And this old friend,” pointing to his camera, 
“pays the way. If you treat everybody as well as you 
have me, you must have a line of crosses on your fence 
posts to guide the hungry and weary! I’d like to put a 
good big one there myself, thank you. Good-bye.” 

Mrs. Carroll shook hands with him after receiving 
his promise to send the pictures by express to Mr. Car- 
roll’s office. That was deemed the safest method as so 
many of the ladies were to be away. 

“Mrs. Harper leaves to-night instead of Monday, 
boys,” she informed them, after the man had departed. 


MRS. HARPER^S GIFT 


195 


you wish to bid her good-bye you ^11 have to hurry. 
There comes the carriage for her now.” 

'^But I thought she didn^t sail until next week,” 
Carter exclaimed in surprise. 

^^She doesn^t, but she^s going to Boston first. Mr. 
Harper has business in that city, so they sail from there.” 

Hurry, fellows,” Carter called out peremptorily as 
he started on a run for the house. The rest followed and 
found him at the desk in the library. On the back of 
the picture he had written in a big round hand: 

“ From your fiends.’^ 

Nine boyish signatures were carefully placed below the 
inscription, then Dixie’s paw was smeared with ink and 
pressed upon the paper, next to the words: Dixie 
Doodle — His mark.” 

Mrs. Carroll came in just as Carter produced some 
fresh white tissue paper and was hunting for a piece of 
blue cord to carry out the “S. I. G.’s” color scheme. 

Better put an ‘r’ in that last word. Car,” she advised 
laughingly, pointing to the inscription. ‘Ht will make it 
more friendly.” 

Mrs. Harper received the gift with eyes brimming with 
tears. 

‘‘You could not possibly have chosen anything that 
would please me more,” she said brokenly. “I shall 
keep the pictures with me all the time. They will tell 
me that my friends love me and are thinking of me, 
even though I am far away; and if I — when I come 
home I want you all to meet me.” 


196 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


They assured her, eagerly, that they would, and as 
she returned their hearty handclasps, stooping to kiss 
each frank, boyish face, not one of them resented the 
loving good-bye. Without a word, they watched the 
carriage until it disappeared around the turn in the 
avenue; then, still silent, they separated for the night. 


CHAPTER XIV 


A Tub Race and Its Consequences 

The Carrolls were to spend August at the lakes, as usual, 
and as they had to start early on Monday, the boys were 
hustling and bustling about long before seven o^clock. 
Carter was delighted to have Sid with him during his 
vacation trip, and this year the Grants were also going. 
Mrs. Grant really preferred to stay at home where she 
had things just as she wanted them, but the had 

teased and pleaded until she consented to tear herself 
away from her home comforts for the month of August. 

much prefer my own airy piazzas, and my own 
bath,^' she explained to Mrs. Carroll resignedly; ‘^but 
with two growing girls on my hands I suppose I must 
expect just this sort of thing. The only leaven in the 
prospect is that I will be with you,'’ she added sincerely. 

Thank you," was Mrs. Carroll's gratified response. 
Her English neighbor was seldom demonstrative, so she 
appreciated the compliment all the more highly. “And 
don't worry over piazzas and bath tubs," she added. 
“There are splendid piazzas at the 'Good Times House,' 
with a magnificent view spread out before them; wooded 
mountains and green valleys, and the most glorious 
sunsets you ever saw. And besides the regular bath 
tubs, you have the whole lake, you know!" 


198 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


The two ladies and all the grips went to the ferry in a 
carriage, while Mr. Carroll and Mr. Grant accompanied 
the and Carter and Sid on foot. The party which 

met at the ferry was a very jolly one, so jolly that it 
made the two men long to begin their vacations then and 
there. 

‘‘DonT catch all the fish, boys,’’ Mr. Carroll admon- 
ished them at parting. Leave a few bass and a pickerel 
or two for us, wonT you?’^ 

‘^We’ll try, sir!’^ Sid answered laughingly, but Carter 
refused to commit himself. 

They had reserved the drawing-room of the car for 
the trip, and had provided themselves with luncheon as 
the dinner stop was of only ten minutes’ duration. They 
had a gay time all the way up, and enjoyed their picnic 
luncheon thoroughly. The sandwiches and cakes were 
delicious. Thermos bottles kept the coffee for the ladies 
hot, and the lemonade for the yoimg people cold. 

After they arrived at the tiny station surrounded by 
its ever green mountains that seemed threatening to 
close in upon it and demolish it, they had a drive of 
several miles, all up-hill, but the strong mountain horses 
made light work of the pull. The rest enjoyed the scenery 
but Mrs. Carroll was anxious about the fate of the trunks 
one of which was roped on at the extreme end of the 
mountain wagon. 

‘^Your clothes are on the line all right,” the driver 
assured her good-naturedly: Don’t you worry about 
’em. See those knots? Best kind of clothespins!” 

When they reached the lakes the boys found to their 


A TUB RACE 


199 


delight that they had been assigned to the tent, the 
having the room originally reserved for them. 
It was a large tent set on a raised flooring, and proved to 
be arranged most comfortably. It stood not far from 
the end of the hotel piazza, even nearer the water than 
the house itself. They were too eager to get to the lake 
to do more than take a cursory view of it, however, so 
they tossed their grips inside and started for the dock; 
but Carter remembered just in time that he did not know 
the number of their boat and hurried into the office to 
consult the clerk. 

On reaching the dock they found that the boat reserved 
for them was a new one that had been put in the water 
only a few weeks before. Sid was delighted with it but 
Carter regarded it in deep disgust. 

“That thing! he exclaimed indignantly. “Might 
as well try to row a barge as that! I wanted one of the 
steel boats.^' 

“I know you did,^’ his mother replied. She had fol- 
lowed the boys to the dock, anticipating just this 
dissatisfaction on Carter’s part; “but they are more 
expensive — in fact almost twice as much. I know they 
are light but they tip easily. That was why I especially 
asked to have one of these reserved.” 

While she was speaking Sid sprang into the boat, 
untied the anchoring rope, and rowed a few strokes 
away. 

“Come on. Car!” he urged. “It pulls as light as 
can be.” But Carter ignored the invitation. 

“I don’t care to go on the lake at all,” he remarked 


200 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


with freezing dignity, I have to go in a flat-bottomed 
scow!’’ And putting his hands into his pockets, he tried 
to whistle indifferently. 

‘^Very well,” Mrs. Carroll answered gently, you 
feel that way about it you may go to the office and get 
another boat, but — ” 

‘^Goody!” Carter broke in joyfully. ^'Come on, Sid! 
I’m afraid all the steel boats will be snapped up if we 
don’t hurry.” 

^^Wait a moment until I finish,” his mother restrained 
him quietly. was about to say that you may use 
the steel boat for rowing — you handle your oars very 
well — but you can only row on Little Twin. No going 
through the channel into Big Twin and no fishing, if 
you choose a round-bottomed boat.” 

“No big lake and no fishing!” Carter repeated in 
amazement. “Well, I like that!” But his tone did not 
indicate any great degree of liking: it was plainly sulky. 
“You forget that I can row well and swim well. Any- 
body ’d think I was a baby.” 

“Not any one who knows how treacherous Big Twin 
is,” his mother answered decisively. “You know how 
careful the men are, and how often they come in, on 
account of the high wind, even when the fish are biting. 
It is bad enough to sit quietly in a boat that is easily 
tipped without having two boys stand up and move 
about as you must do in fishing, and on a lake that gets 
excited without warning as Big Twin does. You may 
make your own choice. I want you to be suited because 
I want you both to enjoy your vacation. I’m going up 


A TUB RACE 


201 


to the office now, and I’ll arrange the exchange if you 
say so.” 

‘^But — but — ” Carter hesitated. He hated to 
'^craw-fish,” but the proposed arrangement with its 
restrictions certainly did not appeal to him. It was too 
dear a price to pay for the sake of any round-bottomed 
boat, no matter how speedy and graceful. While he 
hesitated, irresolute, Sid came to his rescue. 

^^This is a dandy. Car!” he called out. He was just 
sending the boat around the raft with long, even strokes. 
'^It pulls splendidly: you can tell that right away. I 
like these oars, too: they’re spoons. Better try it before 
you decide.” 

'^All right!” Carter agreed promptly, jumping at the 
chance. Please wait, mother. I — I’ll decide by and 
by. Come in for me, Sid.” 

^‘Better not take any chances,” Sid whispered warn- 
ingly, as he brought the boat up to the end of the dock. 
‘^I want to fish if you don’t, and gee whiz! isn’t that 
big lake a peach, though? Go on! tell her!” 

“All right, mother,” Carter called after Mrs. Carroll’s 
retreating figure; ^^ou needn’t make any fuss about 
it. Sid wants to keep this one.” 

“So does Carter,” Sid shouted as an amendment. 

Mrs. Carroll turned and nodded, with difficulty sup- 
pressing a smile. Carter was determined, very, but as 
Mr. Carroll often said. Carter’s mother was even more 
determined; and she used her determination wisely to 
keep her only son from becoming one of those disagree- 
able, dictatorial boys that spoil the peace of so many 


202 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


American families. Carter knew by experience that if 
his mother said ‘^no fishing’^ and ‘‘no big lake’' it meant 
just that, not for a few days or a week, but for the entire 
time of their stay. 

The house was packed with guests, and even the boat- 
house on the shore was converted into a lodging place. 
Carter and Sid soon found that they were the envy 
of the boys and even of some of the girls, on account of 
their tent. 

“We tried to get it,” the two Mason boys informed 
Sid confidentially; “but we found that Mrs. Carroll had 
reserved it some time ago. I suppose you could n’t put 
two more cots in it, could you?” 

“I’m afraid not,” Sid replied, not very regretfully. 

“We might divide up,” the other boys suggested. 
“We could use the tent one week and you the next 
week, you know.” But even this ingenious arrangement 
failed to appeal to the tent’s possessors. 

When the “I.’s” inspected it, they promptly offered to 
exchange their room for it, but were as promptly refused. 
Ida, as usual, was spokesman. 

“Sorry, Ida,” Carter assured her, smiling broadly as 
he spoke; “but this is a rattlesnake country, you know, 
so it would n’t be safe to put you two girls out here.” 

“Rattlesnakes nothing!” Ida’s tone showed her dis- 
belief. “That’s just an excuse because you don’t want 
to change. I’ll wager a box of chocolates we don’t see 
or hear a rattler all the time we are here.” 

“Done!” Carter promptly took out his note book, 
wrote out the wager, signed his name, and passed both 


A TUB RACE 


203 


book and fountain pen to Ida. ^^Sign it, ‘I.,^ then we’ll 
give it to Sid to keep. There are rattlers about here, 
whether we see one this summer or not.” 

^^Yes, and there are sea serpents, they say,” Ida 
jeered, ^^but I’d have to see one to believe it.” 

The annual water sports and land contests took place 
within a week after the arrival of the Carroll party. 
Carter and Sid entered for several of the dashes, the 
obstacle race, and the swimming contest, while every 
boy in the house took part in the tub race. The audience 
was composed of all the ^^Good Times” guests as well 
as the people from the many camps near by. They were 
seated in their boats, or on benches on the shore and 
along the sides of the dock. Even the raft had its burden 
of spectators, lounging along the edges, or perched up on 
the high diving ladder. The judges were in a boat close 
to the end of the long narrow dock, which was the goal, 
and the announcer, with a huge megaphone, tramped 
up and down the dock as he shouted out the result of 
the various contests. Once or twice he barely escaped 
stepping into the water in his excitement. 

After several exciting dashes, a rowing contest for 
ladies, and a canoe race for the men, the tub race was 
called. All but one of the tubs got away from the raft 
in fine style; that one, Albert Mason’s, foundered at the 
start. From the first Sid was in the lead. He had dis- 
covered that a steady, even paddling with both hands 
accomplished more than the frantic efforts some of the 
others were making. He had a good three-foot lead and 
was sailing along serenely almost ^t the deck when he 


204 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


felt a vicious sidewise push that sent him spinning away 
at right angles to the goal. Only his good balance kept 
him from pitching headlong out of his unsteady craft. 
At the same time the second tub tipped over sending its 
occupant sprawling into the water while it gyrated 
gayly out of reach. 

Sid paddled away with might and main. He heard 
the cheering but he was so intent on his eflForts to keep 
his tub from foundering that he did not discover who had 
come in first until he bumped against the dock directly 
in front of the judges. By that time he had managed 
to recover lost ground, or water rather, and found that 
he was second. 

He knew that he had been purposely fouled, and was 
boiling with wrath over such a dishonorable trick. As 
he was helped up to the dock he was just beginning an 
indignant explanation to the bystanders when he sud- 
denly realized that it was Carter himself who had won. 
Carter! Sid stood staring at him in open-mouthed 
chagrin, and his proposed explanation ended then and 
there. 

The two boys had been friends for years, with the 
exception of occasional intermissions of varying length, 
during which they never intended to speak to each other 
again. But these unhappy intervals had been few and 
far between, of late, and of increasingly shorter duration. 
In all this time Sid had never known his friend to be 
guilty of a really disloyal action. He was sometimes 
sulky, sometimes even quarrelsome; and he was often 
inclined to dictate in their games; but dishonorable — 


A TUB RACE 


205 


never! For a few moments Sid hesitated, torn between 
his sense of justice and his love for his chum. Besides, 
he owed so much to the Carrolls for making him one of 
the family, as they had done. But it wasnT fair! It 
wasn^t fair! He would have won — he could n^t have 
helped it — if things had been straight, but it wasn’t 
the victory he cared most for, after all. 

When he reached this point in his thoughts, he turned 
accusingly toward Carter, but the latter was smilingly 
receiving the congratulations of a group of girls of 
which the were the center. The big dimples 

which he despised, because they brought him so much 
teasing from the rest of the boys, were very much in 
evidence as he made his laughing explanation. 

'‘I didn’t know I stood any show at all,” Sid heard 
him say in gleeful tones. ^^When I looked up a moment 
before there were two or three tubs ahead of me. I 
knew I had n’t any time for star-gazing, so I just pitched 
in and paddled with all my might.” 

Sid’s lip curled scornfully as he listened. 

wanted to take a prize,” Carter went on, ^^but I 
had more hope of the swimming contest, unless Iva gets 
the best of me. I don’t see yet how I won this.” 

^‘But I do!” Sid muttered through set teeth; ^^and 
I hope you’ll enjoy your prize.” With an effort he kept 
back the indignant accusation, and busied himself in 
pulling his sweater over his bathing suit imtil he had 
time to regain his self-control. 

There were two swimming contests, one for the men 
alone, the other for the young people. In the latter the 


206 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


were the only entries among the girls. Ida was a 
good swimmer and a fine diver, but Iva, who could not 
dive at all, was an unusually strong, rapid swimmer. 
She had already demonstrated her skill by swimming 
across Big Twin, a feat that only one or two of the best 
swimmers among the men had duplicated. Carter and 
Sid knew what a strong antagonist she would be, and 
the rest of the boys had seen enough of her performance 
in the water to realize that she was a foeman worthy of 
their steel. 

‘^We^ll have to put in some pretty good licks to get 
ahead of her,^’ Albert Mason remarked, somewhat dole- 
fully. She’s the queerest combination though; says 
it scares her to dive. Did you ever hear of such silliness 
when she can swim like a fish? Just like a girl!” 

Carter had his heart set on winning the swimming 
race. He knew that Iva was ahead of him in long dis- 
tance swims which require easy, strength-saving mo- 
tions, but he hoped to beat her in the short, speedy trial. 
He realized, though, that he was not in the best condi- 
tion for the contest. He had already taken part in 
several dashes, as well as the obstacle race and the tub 
race, and was feeling decidedly tired from his exertions; 
but he made an effort to throw off the feeling of lassitude 
that oppressed him. 

The entries for the race included the ‘^I.’s,” the two 
Masons, Carter and Sid, but when the race was called, 
the latter had disappeared. The rest, however, were 
paddled luxuriously to the starting point on the shore 
pear the bp^t-house, in the papoes. There followed an 


A TUB RACE 


207 


anxious moment while they were taking position; then 
one of the judges raised his pistol; the other counted: 
'‘One! Two! Three !^’ At the report the contestants 
were off, swimming as rapidly as they could towards 
the goal at the end of the dock. 

At first Carter had all he could do in getting a good 
start and making sure that he was not wasting precious 
time by swimming away from the direct line to goal; 
but at the end of a few moments he ventured to glance 
about. Only one head bobbed along near him; its 
bright red cap proclaimed one of the "I.^s.^^ It was Iva. 
She too had set her heart on winning, even though it 
meant victory over Carter whom she admired so heartily. 
She had a lead of almost three feet, and as Carter took 
his survey she increased the rapidity of her strokes. 

"Oho! my lady!’^ he thought to himself: "so that^s 
your game, is it? Well, other people can sprint, too: 
you have n^t any copyright on it.” 

At that he redoubled his efforts, forgetting that he 
was not in good trim for such strenuous exertion. He 
had not yet reached the age which is gallant enough to 
relinquish a victory voluntarily in favor of a girl, even 
as jolly and lovable a lassie as Iva Grant. Her advantage 
acted upon him as a spur. 

The spectators had risen to their feet with excited 
cries, as they watched the progress of the race. 

"Go it, Carter!” "Come on, Iva, come on!” "Don^t 
be discouraged. Mason; swim the other way — it^s 
nearer ! ” " Neck and neck now ! Hurrah for the winner !” 

But the swimmers were oblivious to cheers or jeer§, 


208 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


Carter spurted to such good purpose that he touched the 
dock fully two feet ahead of the little lady. Had any 
one suggested, before the race, that he would be willing 
to give up the prize, he would have treated the sugges- 
tion with the scorn it deserved; but as he turned with 
outstretched hand to help Iva up to the dock he was 
not only willing, but eager, to hand the prize over to 
her. He had proven his skill against an adversary of 
Iva^s well-known ability: that was all he cared about. 

Was n’t it great?” he panted, breathing hard from 
his recent efforts. “That was close enough to be really 
exciting, wasn’t it? Say, Iva, I don’t want the prize; 
you take it!” 

Iva shook her head decidedly, and Carter was just 
about to urge her to accept it, when she seemed to fade 
away before his eyes in a very strange manner. The 
dock, too, began to conduct itself in a most unusual 
fashion: it went up and down like a see-saw, making all 
the boats and canoes tied along its sides dance the 
liveliest kind of jigs. Carter laughed aloud at the comical 
courtesies they were making to each other. The people 
near by began to bob up and down too; then there 
came a crash and blackness. . . . 

“He’ll be all right now, Mrs. Carroll,” he heard a 
voice saying. The owner of the voice seemed to be over 
on Big Twin, the words sounded so far away. He won- 
dered who would be all right, and why his mother should 
worry about the matter anyway. A confused murmur 
followed, silenced finally by the same commanding 
voice, this time near at hand* 


A TUB RACE 


209 


^'Just a little over-exertion/^ the voice said. “That^s 
why I object to these contests: they are harder, in reality, 
than the longer swims. Here’s this lad, for instance — 
in two or three running races, then, the tub race, each 
calling for violent exertion — and capping them all by 
this swimming contest.” 

^^But he swam across the lake yesterday,” Mrs. Carroll 
interrupted, her voice a mingling of motherly anxiety 
and pride. 

“Not half as harmful as this sprinting business, not 
half!” came the decisive response. “Here, my boy, 
take another sip of this.” 

Carter swallowed the warm drink gratefully, and as 
the owner of the voice renewed his gentle manipulations 
of his legs and arms, he realized that he must have 
fainted. Deeply mortified at what he considered a dis- 
play of weakness, he struggled to his feet and tried to 
march up the dock, but would have fallen had it not 
been for a supporting arm. 

“Not so fast, my son! You’ve got a long good life 
ahead of you to get off this dock.” 

Carter recognized the voice now; it was the fat, 
jolly doctor who was staying at one of the camps near 
by. He was a general favorite in spite of the fact that 
he was made the target for much good-natured raillery. 
He grumbled constantly because people did not rest 
enough during their vacations, but it was evidently a 
case of “Do as I say and not as I do!” because he him- 
self was always ready for any jollification, from straw 
rides to masquerades, picnics, or country-dances. 


210 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^'What^s the matter with me?’^ Carter whispered 
anxiously, as his mother threw his sweater over his 
shoulders. 

“Nothing much, my boy,^’ the doctor reassured him, 
adding jovially: “you’re simply trying to scare your 
poor mother to death, that’s all. But you’re all right 
now, and so is she; only take my advice, son, and don’t 
overwork that good engine of yours in this way again.” 

Carter looked at him inquiringly. 

“Your body, I mean, boy. You’ve got a remarkably 
sound proposition there,” touching Carter’s chest which 
was well developed in spite of his slenderness; “I saw 
that when I examined you after you keeled over: but 
it needs care the same as any other engine. Keep it in 
good trim, my boy. Good health makes life worth 
living. If people would only use their vacations for 
rest, instead of — ” 

A chorus of “Whoa! Whoa!” from the beach, inter- 
rupted him. The doctor looked up, flushed but laugh- 
ing, and shook his flst at them. 

“I know I’m off on my hobby,” he acknowledged 
grimly; “but it’s a pretty sensible hobby after all, my 
fine scoffers.” 

“Indeed it is,” Mrs. Carroll defended him stoutly, 
while Carter held out his hand in embarrassment. 

“Thank you for helping me, sir,” he said earnestly. 
“I’ll remember what you said about the engine, and 
try to be careful of mine.” 

“In any more contests to-day?” the doctor demanded 
crossly. 


A TUB RACE 


211 


‘^No, sir!^^ 

“That^s good! Now look here, if you expect to come 
down to that confounded masquerade to-night — do 
you? Ah! I thought sol In my young days kids of 
fourteen or fifteen went to bed at reasonable hours. 
But if you insist on coming down, be sure you stretch 
out for an hour or two first, understand?” 

see to it, doctor,” Mrs. Carroll interposed before 
Carter could answer. The vision of her boy lying white 
and still was before her eyes, giving a ring of sharp 
decision to her voice. ‘‘I don^t think I shall permit 
him — ” . 

'^Oh, please, mother,” he pleaded. ^^My suites all 
ready. 1^11 go lie down now.” 

They went up to Mrs. Carrolls room because it was 
more quiet. Mother-like she cheerfully missed the gay 
little tea which followed the sports, while she made her 
boy comfortable upon the bed, then sat down beside 
him and spent the rest of the afternoon reading the latest 
instalment of a serial in which they were both interested. 

Whereas Sid?” he asked after the story was finished. 
‘^1 have n^t seen him since the tub race. He didn^t 
go in for the swim, after all.” 

have n^t seen him, either,” Mrs. Carroll exclaimed 
in surprise. wonder where he is. He could n^t have 
been around when you — ” 

‘^Oh, cut it out, mother!” Carter begged in slangy 
earnestness. ^^Just because I was hot and tired, and 
happened to feel a little faint, there ^s no use rubbing it 


212 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


His mother smiled at his words, and went on with 
what she was saying. 

‘‘He could not have been around at the time of the 
swimming race or he would have come up to find out 
what was the matter. I must go down and look him up, 
dear. He^s my boy, too, remember. Keep quiet until 
the supper-bell rings, or — and without stipulating 
what dire consequences would follow the “or^' in case 
of undue activity, she hurried downstairs. 


CHAPTER XV 


The Awarding of the Prizes 

Sid, meanwhile, had been fighting hard against the 
bitterness that had taken possession of him. He curtly 
refused to take part in the swimming race although his 
name had been posted among the entries. At its close, 
when Carter collapsed, he started towards him instinc- 
tively, but the memory of his friend’s treachery came 
over him and held him back. He hung about on the 
outskirts of the^owd in keenest anxiety until he heard 
the doctor’s re^tssuring words to Mrs. Carroll. When 
Carter started to his feet a few moments later, he walked 
away hurriedly, and spent the rest of the afternoon in 
the woods. 

It was a miserable time for the poor boy. The thought 
that his chum could go back on him in such a way, after 
their years of friendship, hurt him like a knife-thrust. 
His fists clenched until his knuckles showed white. 

despise him! I despise him! I despise him!” he 
muttered through his clenched teeth; but as he said it, 
he knew that he still cared for him, even though he had 
done what he did. He ended his outburst of passion by 
putting his head down against one of the great trees and 
sobbing hard. The storm washed away his ugly mood, 
but the hurt remained. 


214 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Later, when Mrs. Carroll looked in at the flap of the 
tent, he was lying on his cot, his face propped up on his 
hands, reading. He greeted her with a smile and listened, 
without comment to her account of the afternoon^s 
mishap. 

Carter will dress in my room,^^ she ended. ‘^That 
will leave the tent for you; or do you know each other^s 
costumes? 

^'No, ma^am,^^ Sid answered. — I don^t think Til 
go in for the masquerade. I — 

‘^Of course you will,^^ she interrupted brightly, laying 
her hand with caressing touch upon his head. “I’ll help 
arrange a disguise for you, if you have n’t already planned 
one. Why, everybody will be there: it’s to be the big- 
gest frolic of the season. Some of the ' -"t ;pers will have 
outlandish costumes, I know. I overMard them talking 
about it, early this afternoon. Of course you’ll come.” 

“All right!” Sid responded more heartily. 

Supper was a hurried affair that night, and the guests 
vanished immediately afterwards to dress for the mas- 
querade. Promptly at eight-fifteen the big dinner bell 
sounded; lights were put out in the halls; and a pro- 
cession of grotesque figures flitted silently down to the 
dancing hall to join in the opening parade. A motley 
collection it was, clowns and nobles, fairies and gnomes, 
overgrown babies and undersized adults; peanut ven- 
ders, Mother Goose characters, and foreigners of every 
description. 

One old organ grinder with long beard and stooping 
figure, who sent forth doleful melodies on his ancient 



** When the time for unmasking arrived there were some genuine 

surprises.” Page 214. 




I 




f 




h ■ 

\ 


t 




« 


t 


f 


0 




A 





. 


• \ 


• > 

I . t ^ ^ 


*. ‘ •. *• 

I ■ 


/I. 

I 


’ t 


\ 




1 ■ 


t » 

« 




t , 





% 


f- 

♦ 


w • 




I 



I . 


I 


4 


% 



I 


^ I 


I' 


r 



I < 


t. 


AWARDING OF THE PRIZES 


215 


instrument, nearly put a disastrous finish to the frolic 
at its very beginning. Scrap, the doctor ^s bulldog, 
usually the gentlest creature in the world, seemed to 
resent the music as a personal insult. After a series of 
long-drawn wails of disapproval, he growled threaten- 
ingly once or twice. The old man made some teasing 
motion towards him when, without warning, he sprang 
straight at his throat. A murmur of horror ran through 
the crowd, for Scrap was a full blooded bull-dog, with 
all his breed^s ferocity, if aroused. But a low-toned 
Scrap! down, sir!’^ changed tragedy to comedy, and 
the dog^s charge became a joyful scufile. The secret 
was out, however, as far as the identity of the organ 
grinder was concerned. Wherever he went, after that, 
he was greeted with laughing exclamations: ‘^Whoa!^^ 
‘^Down, Scrap, down!^^ “People ought to rest during 
summer: that^s what vacation is for!’’ 

It was some time before Mrs. Carroll discovered Sid. 
He made a really presentable girl dressed in Ida’s bath- 
ing-suit which had been hurriedly dried by the kitchen 
fire, for the occasion. As for Carter, she had thought 
it would be impossible for him to deceive her, even for 
a few moments, but she found that there were several 
people about his height, any one of whom might be 
he. She finally decided that a bent old man dressed as 
a farmer, accompanied by an equally bent old woman, in 
sunbonnet and apron, were Carter and Ida, when a 
familiar voice beside her made her start. 

“Shall we dance this two-step?” 

With a pleased laugh she seized, the Chinaman by his 


216 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


dangling pigtail, and whispered: Pretty good, Car! 
You deceived even me!^^ 

When the time for unmasking arrived there were 
some genuine surprises. The bent old lady proved to 
be one of the boys from the camp near by, while Iva 
appeared as a rough rider, jaunty enough to make even 
an ex-president long to return to his company. Ida 
was dressed as an Indian maiden, her long black hair 
floating far below her waist. There were many clever 
disguises, but the doctor^s was considered the best of all. 

“If you can fool your own dog,’’ one of the camp 
boys exclaimed, “you deserve a medal.” 

After several dances, the awards for the day’s sports 
were made amid cheers or groans. 

The prizes, wrapped in white tissue paper and tied 
with ribbons, were placed upon a table in the middle 
of the office and the doctor was unanimoux^ly chosen 
to present them. He accepted only after the grave 
assurance that it was a very restful task. 

Sid stepped forward to receive his prize for the sixty- 
yard dash, looking as grave and unsmiling as though it 
were a sentence of exile. When the swimming race was 
called Carter again urged Iva to accept the prize, and 
when she refused he insisted on sharing it with her. 
There was a shout of merriment when it proved to be 
a set of collar buttons, but Carter was equal to the oc- 
casion. He stepped over to the desk, purchased a box 
of chocolates, and gallantly presented it to the “near- 
winner,” as he called her. 

Just before the doctor reached the tub race, Howard 


AWARDING OF THE PRIZES 


217 


Mason rushed up to Carter, and pulling him into the 
hall began talking to him in an earnest undertone. The 
boy’s face was flushed and downcast, and he spoke with 
evident effort, but he kept on bravely until he had told 
his sorry tale. Carter knew how hard it must be for him, 
and as soon as he finished, he held out his hand. 

understand, Howard. It was a pretty mean trick,” 
he added, frankly, '^but as you say, you did it without 
thinking. I ’m glad you Ve told me. I ’ll fix it all 
right.” 

‘^You don’t mind giving it up, do you?” Howard 
asked anxiously. 

^'Not a bit!” came the hearty response. ^^I wanted 
to win the swimming race and I did. These collar 
buttons are the prize: aren’t they beauties? I don’t 
care a snap about the other; but say, by jingo! that ’s 
it!” 

^^What ’s it?” 

^^Why, that’s what’s the matter with Sid. He’s 
been different some way or other, but I could n’t make 
out what was wrong. He scowled and scarcely answered 
when I spoke to him, and he ’s kept out of my way all 
he could. Surely he doesn’t think — Look here, 
Howard did he see you do it?” 

‘‘Nope! I don’t think so.” 

“Then that ’s what ’s the matter! No wonder he ’s 
grumpy. Come on! the doctor ’s calling for the tub 
race now.” 

He hurried into the office again, and in a few whispered 
words made the doctor understand what had happened. 


218 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S” 


and what he wanted done about it. The doctor nodded 
in pleased satisfaction. He had caught a glimpse of Sid^s 
sudden sidewise sprint, followed by Howard^s upset, 
and had jumped to a pretty fair conclusion; but he was 
not sure, and no one else referred to the matter, so he was 
forced to hold his peace. His task, after Carter^s infor- 
mation, was a pleasant one. 

Ladies and gentlemen, including the children, he 
began, bowing in the direction of a group from the young 
men’s camp, many of whom were the possessors of real 
razors, and one or two of them voters. This opening 
raised a laugh at their expense, but they took their medi- 
cine with cheerful, if somewhat embarrassed, grins. ^Ht 
has become my painful duty to refuse to bestow the next 
prize, which is for the tub race, upon Master Carter 
Carroll because — ” he paused tantalizingly, while a 
murmur of surprise ran around the room — because he 
did not win it!” 

“But he did!” “ Sure, he did!” “He won, all right!” 
“I saw him!” sounded all about. The campers were 
aggressively positive in their assertions. 

“Excuse me, little ones,” the doctor addressed them 
especially, again raising a laugh from the rest of the 
company, “but I have his own word for it. By a strange 
concatenation of circumstances — ” 

A prolonged “Whew!” interrupted the speaker. 

“As I was saying,” he went on calmly ignoring the 
interruption, “by a strange concatenation of circum- 
stances — do you get it, little ones? — the winner was 
fouled when he was almost within reach of the dock. 


AWARDING OF THE PRIZES 


219 


Both he and the — he paused to choose as mild a word 
as possible, ‘‘well, the one who fouled him, were knocked 
out, while Master Carroll paddled up to the home-plate — 
I mean the dock — in ignorance of what had happened. 
But the secret, like the Spartan boy^s wolf — or was it 
a fox, by the way? — gnawed at the guilty one^s vitals 
until he made public the true state of the case. When 
the — ah! — apparent winner learned the true inward- 
ness of his outward victory he insisted that the real 
victor should receive recognition. I should like to 
express my next words in Latin, ladies and gentlemen, 
but I fear these critical youngsters on my left, who, I 
understand, carry on most of their camp conversation 
in that tongue: so I will say, in good plain English: 
‘To the victor belong the spoils!^ Will Master Sidney 
Armstrong kindly step forward and receive his — ah! 
— spoils?^’ 

It was not a case of willingness to step forward! Amid 
a perfect storm of applause Sid was promptly pushed 
up to the doctor, and to his mingled dismay and delight, 
was flourishingly presented with a gold scarf-pin in the 
shape of a tiny tub. 

It was really one of the handsomest of the prizes, and 
the boy was delighted with it; but the doctor’s low-toned 
words, as he fastened it into the tie of the bathing-suit, 
meant even more to him. 

“You knew all the time, did n’t you? ” he asked quietly. 

“Yes, sir, but I — I thought — ” 

“I understand. I ’m proud of you, my boy. Carroll 
has a friend worth having.” 


220 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Sid hurried in search of Carter and found him just 
leaving the desk with two bottles of sarsaparilla and a 
box of cheese-wafers tucked under his arm. 

“I'm sorry, Car," he said without explanation of 
any kind, 

“Don't mention it!" was the brief reply. 

“But I don't see how I could have believed you 'd 
do such a rotten thing, even for a minute," he persisted 
remorsefully. 

r “Neither do I!" Carter agreed cheerfully, at which 
they both laughed, and the storm was over. 

“Come on out to the tent," Carter urged. “I rushed 
my supper to get into this Chinaman's rig before mother 
came to the room to dress, so I 'm almost starved now. 
Hurry, or we '11 be mobbed." 

“Wait just a minute," Sid called back as he ran in to 
the desk. He returned in a short time with a bottle of 
olives, a box of fruit crackers, and two glasses. 

“This is the last eatable in the house," he said, chuck- 
ling over his luck. “Office is completely sold out. If 
we don't get away double-quick we '11 be held up. I 'm 
a candidate for the bread line myself; I did n't eat any 
supper at all." 

They waited in the shadow a moment until the coast 
seemed clear, but just as they were about to leave the 
piazza, the “I.'s" who were seated on the top step inter- 
cepted them, and began talking over the evening's fun. 
In the darkness they did not see the boys' burdens or they 
would not have spoken as freely as they did. 

“I'm so hungry!" Iva exclaimed with a sigh, “and 


AWARDING OF THE PRIZES 


221 


the office is as barren as the Desert of Sahara: not even 
a Uneeda biscuit left! It seems as though supper was 
ancient history/’ 

“Ancient history! ” Ida echoed in her forceful way. 
“You mean legend, or folk-lore, don’t you? Because 
history actually took place, and judging from my feel- 
ings right this minute, I don’t think supper ever did! 
I understand perfectly, now, what Johnny Porter means 
when he talks about ^all-gone-ness’!” 

Carter nudged Sid, and as Ida finished speaking they 
laid their offerings in the girls’ laps. 

“Oh, jolly!” they exclaimed in chorus. 

“Weren’t you lucky to get these, though!” Ida 
added: “and aren’t we lucky to be included in the 
treat! How did you happen to get them? Did you 
think of it beforehand?” 

“No,” was Carter’s reply, “but I made a rush the 
instant the prizes were awarded, and Sid followed suit. 
We felt pretty sure there would be a run on the bank. 
Come on, let ’s start in.” 

“Oh, no! not here!” Ida objected. “If you could 
even dimly realize how hungry we are, you would n’t 
suggest exposing such priceless treasures here! It’s 
too public!” She patted the cheese-wafers lovingly 
as she spoke. 

“Sh!” Sid warned as a group of young people ap- 
proached. “Lie low!” 

They too seemed on the point of starvation, judging 
from their conversation as they paused near the steps 
to discuss plans for the next day. They showed no 


222 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


signs of moving on, so the quartette, with their treas- 
ures carefully concealed, disappeared in silence. They 
paused at the farthest end of the piazza and discussed 
the advisability of holding the impromptu feast in the 
tent, which Carter thought was the safest place. But 
Sid remembered that its interior had not presented a 
company appearance when he finished dressing for the 
masquerade, and vetoed the plan. 

‘'The tenths a regular old shadow-graph when the 
lamp ^s lighted,’’ he objected, giving his friend a warn- 
ing nudge as he spoke. “Let’s stay here. We can 
barricade this part beyond the steps with piazza rockers.” 

They immediately acted upon this suggestion, and 
soon a row of high-backed chairs draped with various 
shawls and wraps that were lying about completely 
fenced off about ten feet of piazza, forming a secluded 
little picnic retreat. Then they sat down on the floor 
in a circle and attacked the supplies with hungry 
vigor. 

“The menu consists of the following, ladies and gentle- 
man,” Carter began, when Iva interrupted with a soft 
peal of laughter that was irresistible. 

“We don’t want to be on the menu,” she objected in 
a laughing whisper. “We might not be tender. If it’s 
a choice of eating or being eaten I prefer to be the ‘bo’sun 
tight and a midshipmite, and the crew of the captain’s 
gig!’ That is,” she added, with polite afterthought, “if 
it’s all the same to the rest of you.” 

Carter saw the point of the joke and changed his 
address. 


AWARDING OF THE PRIZES 


223 


'‘Ladies and gentleman, the menu consists of cheese- 
wafers and olives, fruit crackers and sarsaparilla — 

"With a chocolate or two for dessert,^^ Iva interpolated. 

"Fall to, everybody!” he went on; "but donT make 
a racket or we ^11 be overhauled and forced to give up 
our booty. Let me have your knife, Sid. The cork in 
this olive bottle is put in for keeps. I ^m afraid to break 
the neck of the bottle; it might attract attention.” 

Instinctively Sid^s hand flew to where his pockets ought 
to be, much to the amusement of the girls. Carter^s 
Chinaman outfit was largely pajamas with one empty 
pocket; Ida^s Indian costume included a beaded bag, 
also empty. 

"It’s up to the rough rider,” Carter remarked. "Knife 
please, T. R. Jr.!” 

Much to their surprise Iva, usually so gentle and 
retiring, calmly produced a large three-bladed knife, and 
presented it. 

"I’ve always thought boys had the best of it in the 
matter of clothes,” she explained seriously, "and now 
I’m sure of it. These pockets are solid comfort.” 

Just as they were settled comfortably to the feast, 
they heard footsteps coming down the piazza. 

"Who on earth put these chairs across here in this 
silly way?” an impatient girlish voice exclaimed. The 
words were accompanied by an angry shove against the 
barrier. "There are too many boys and girls in this 
place to suit me.” 

"But you were a girl yourself not so very long ago,” 
a manly voice protested mildly. "Come on, dear! don’t 


224 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G.’S 


be cross any more. I promise not to dance with her 
again. I only asked her because I thought — ” 

'^Then donT think his companion snapped in reply. 

'^The ^Scrappy DansM’^ Ida whispered softly. 

This was the nickname given to one of the engaged 
couples who seemed to be really happy only when they 
were in the midst of a squabble. It had been used by 
some one in a joke, and the rest of the guests had taken 
it up. 

Meanwhile the quartette crouched as close to the 
house as they could, scarcely daring to breathe except 
for an involuntary from Ida as the chair was 

shoved back and one of its rockers hit her elbow. But 
the exclamation passed unnoticed by the “Scrappy 
Dans”: they were too deeply engaged in their wrangle. 
They kept up a heated argument for several minutes, 
much to the chagrin of the unwilling eavesdroppers, 
then the tone of their conversation changed and 
“sweetheart” finally allowed “dearest” to lead her 
away. 

“Whew!” Carter whistled in relief, as they stretched 
themselves after their cramped positions. “Isn’t she 
a cross-patch, though!” 

“Too many engaged people in this place to suit me,” 
Ida mimicked the lady to perfection. 

“But I’d object, too,” Iva confessed frankly, “if the 
man I was engaged to danced as often with another 
girl as he did to-night!” 

“ Hear ! hear ! ” Sid jeered teasingly. “ I never thought 
you were so spunky, H.’ !” 


AWARDING OF THE PRIZES 


225 


Much subdued giggling followed this sally, interrupted 
finally by a decisive voice. 

‘^Ida! Iva! I wonder where they are.^^ 

^'I think they went upstairs some time ago,^' Mrs. 
CarrolFs voice responded. ‘^I see the tent is dark, so 
the boys must be in bed. I’m going, too, after I fill my 
water pitcher.” 

It was one of the free and easy customs at the Good 
Times” for the guests to fill their own pitchers with 
the clear, cold water from the pump at the end of the 
piazza. The Growlers’ Parade” started about ten 
each night. 

‘‘But I thought the boys always did that for you,” 
Mrs. Grant remarked in surprise. “I suppose they 
forgot it, to-night.” 

“No, they didn’t forget.” Mrs. Carroll laughed 
heartily as she spoke. “They filled it as soon as the 
prizes were awarded, and left it on one of the tables in 
the hall. Evidently the card players wanted to use the 
table, because they placed the pitcher in the comer of 
the steps, and when I came up to get it I found old 
Scrap drinking away as though he enjoyed — what was 
that?” 

The story of the bulldog was too much for the listeners. 
They burst into peals of laughter as they crept forth 
from their retreat, and after merry good-nights hurried 
off to bed. 


CHAPTER XVI 


The Water Carnival 

The Water Carnival, also an annual event at the lakes, 
took place early the following week. All the guests 
entered into the contest — it would not have been the 
‘‘Good Times had they done otherwise — and every 
one spent a busy day decorating the boats for the even- 
ing’s parade. 

The younger children reaped a harvest selling ropes 
of ground pine to twine about the sticks and strings used 
in the decorations. They did not care to pull up the plant 
too far in advance, for fear it would turn yellow, but 
they scoured the woods for days beforehand, locating 
it and fixing their claims by putting sticks into the 
ground near by to which were fastened papers with the 
finder’s name upon them. Young as they were, they 
were scrupulously careful in respecting each other’s 
property: the older boys and girls commented upon it. 

Carter and Sid held a protracted pow-pow in their tent 
in regard to the scheme of decoration for their boat. They 
meant to have it different from the other boats if they 
could possibly manage it. 

“Why not trim it up like a sail-boat?” Sid asked, 
after several suggestions had been made and negatived 
for one reason or another. “If the shape of the sail 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 227 

is outlined with lanterns it would show up well at 
night/^ 

Yep, I know it would, Carter answered. thought 
of that, but we can^t do it: the ‘Scrappy Dans' are 
already using it, and we don't want to be copy-cats." 

“ Oh, well, it does n't matter." Sid took his disappoint- 
ment easily. “We can think up something else. Any- 
how, it would take too many lanterns, because each rope 
would have to be outlined." 

“That's so! And say, we'd better get our lanterns 
before they're sold out." 

“When did they come?" 

“About an hour ago. The clerk says he'll open the 
boxes just as soon as he gets the mail bag off. Come on! 
It'll pay to pick them out ourselves. Last year some of 
them were much larger and handsomer than others. 
We want the odd shapes if we can find them." 

When they reached the office they found that the 
lantern boxes had just been opened. The “I.'s" were 
already choosing their supply. 

“Here's a box of dandies!" Carter whispered to Sid 
as he pulled an extra long lantern to its full length; 
The clerk overheard the whisper. 

“Hands off that box, please," he warned. “Those big 
ones are for the office." 

“Why?" Carter asked in disappointed tones. “The 
office is n't going in the lake parade, is it?" 

“No, it isn't," was the good-natured reply, “but we 
have arranged to have a country-dance here afterwards. 
People from the farmhouses for miles around will be 


228 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


over to see the carnival, so it^s a good time to have it. 
These are almost as large,” indicating a box at the other 
end of the counter. “You can have first pick, too.” 

The boys spent the next two hours at the dock helping 
the “I.’s” trim their boat. The girls had decided upon a 
canopy effect. A large white parasol swayed gracefully 
in the center, each of its points decorated with a lantern. 
From the high supports nailed to the ends of the boat, 
and at each side of the middle seat, cords, twined about 
with ground pine, were strung; at each end hung a barrel 
hoop — both cords and hoops outlined with lanterns. 
Before the quartette’s work was finished the boat was 
converted into a dainty bower which would be especially 
effective after dark when the lanterns were lighted. 

The “Scrappy Dans” were at work on their boat just 
across the narrow dock, and the quartette was treated to 
a serial in the way of wrangling. The two had grown so 
in the habit of arguing over trifles that it had become 
second nature to them. They completely ignored any 
bystanders. 

“It’s as good as a show,” Sid muttered softly, winking 
at the girls as he spoke. 

“ 'Blow hot, blow cold!’ ” Carter quoted. “It’s 
always blow, though!” 

“Regular lightning change artists, aren’t they?” 
Iva whispered. “Just listen to that!” 

It was not strange that they all laughed, because as 
Sid spoke the young man had been saying: “Look, 
dear! don’t you think this one ought to be hung here?” 
To which the young lady responded sweetly: “Put it 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


229 


where you think best, Jackie/’ But when Iva spoke, a 
moment later, the wind had veered to another quarter, 
and the lady was declaring, with an angry stamp of her 
foot: Don’t do it that way: it looks perfectly silly!” 

^‘Perhaps it would be best to give up the decoration 
altogether,” the young man remarked in dignified 
haughtiness. 

quite agree with you!” came the biting retort. 
And without another word she started up the dock. 

She’s forgotten to give him back his ring,” Ida 
whispered. ‘‘She’s returned it twice since we’ve been 
here! No! there she comes now.” 

“I beg your pardon!” they heard in icy tones from 
the returning lady. “Your property, I believe?” As 
she spoke she removed the handsome solitaire from her 
finger and held it towards him. Without a word he 
stepped forward to take it from her, but it slipped through 
her fingers, sparkling brightly as it rolled merrily along 
one of the planks of the dock, and dropped into the 
water with a little splash. 

“Oh! my ring! my ring! my own beautiful ring!” 
she sobbed, springing frantically after it. “It serves 
me right for being so wicked!” 

In her excitement she was on the point of jumping into 
the water, dainty white morning gown and all, when the 
young man interfered. 

“Wait! I’ll get it! It’s shallow all around the dock. 
Here it is!” 

He dried it with great care, then calmly dropped it 
into his pocket, and after a formal “Good-morning!” 


230 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


set to work once more upon the boat, whistling 
tunefully. > 

The quartette had obligingly turned their backs, not 
wishing to intrude upon the reconciliation they expected 
to follow the restoration of the ring, but the young 
man^s cavalier course made their precaution unnecessary. 

'^That’s my ring!^^ she flashed angrily. 

^^It was your ring,’^ was the quiet correction. 

‘'It’s mine now,” she persisted, “and I — I want it! 
I’m sorry!” 

“Do you mean that?” he demanded shortly. 

“Oh, Jack, of course I do. I — ” 

Just at this point Ida indulged in an alarming spasm 
of coughing. The interruption had the desired effect: 
the two weather-cocks strolled over to the woods to finish 
the peace pact in the proper manner, leaving their boat 
half trimmed. 

“Silly things!” Ida apostrophized them disdainfully; 
then the four set to work and soon finished their task 
to the great satisfaction of the girls. 

“When are you going to trim your own boat?” Iva 
inquired after they had thanked the boys for their help. 

“Don’t know,” Carter replied with an indifferent 
shrug. “We have n’t decided on a plan yet.” 

“Can’t you think up something different?” Ida asked. 

“What?” both boys demanded at once. 

“Why, a — a gondola, or a steamboat, or — ” 

“By jingo!” Carter exclaimed; “if we only could! 
You know — the ‘Clermont.’” 

The boys raced up to the barn discussing the plan as 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


231 


they ran. After much ransacking they succeeded in 
finding some old boxes, a stove-pipe, and the necessary 
tools. At the office they purchased a ball of stout twine 
and some nails, then they hurried down to the dock again. 

‘^DonT tell people what it^s to be,’^ Ida urged. “It 
wonT be any fun unless it’s a surprise.” 

“But they’ll all be crowding down here after dinner,” 
Carter replied. “They’ll be sure to ask questions, or 
watch us and find out for themselves.” 

“I tell you what we might do,” Sid suggested. “Put 
all the stuff into the boat, and right after dinner we’ll 
row over to the neck. We can do the work in that little 
cove and no one will see it until it’s finished!” 

“But how will we get back for supper?” Carter asked 
anxiously. “It’s too far to walk around.” 

“Let’s take something with us and eat over there, 
then we need n’t show up until we fall into the parade. 
Wish you girls could come, too,” he added. “Is your 
mother going in the boat with you, to-night?” 

“No! she’s decided to stay on the beach with Mrs. 
Carroll. They think they will enjoy the parade more 
than if they were in the boats.” 

“Then why not row your boat over with us,” Carter 
urged, “and have a regular picnic?” 

After many explanations and some coaxing Mrs. 
Grant agreed to the plan. She disliked having the girls 
miss their regular meals. 

“We intend to surprise everybody,” Carter assured 
her. “We’ll be right over on the neck, you know. If 
you should want us we can easily hear the megaphone. 


232 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


It isn^t like going through into Big Twin. And we’ll 
take a good supper with us.” 

But their confident request for lunch boxes — a re- 
quest that was quite common at the “Good Times,” 
where fishing appealed more strongly than meal hours, 
— met with a most unusual reception. 

“Sorry, boys,” the clerk replied, “but it’s impossible. 
Cook ’s away for several days, and we’re expecting a big 
crowd of extras for supper to-night. Short of waitresses, 
too! It would be as much as my life is worth to ask 
them to put up boxes now!” 

“Then we’ll take some stuff from the office,” Sid com- 
promised. But here, too, there were difficulties, as the 
fresh supply of “stuff” had not yet come up from the 
station. Rather than give up their plan they gathered 
together whatever they could find in the way of crackers 
and fruit, and decided to make their supper off of fish. 

“We’ll catch a few perch after we finish the boat,” 
Sid promised the “I.’s” confidently. “That’ll settle 
the ^eats’ all right!” 

“Of course it will,” Ida replied with equal confidence. 
“And it’s lots of fun to make a fire on the rocks and cook 
them. I’ll borrow a broiler or a pan, and Iva can get 
two or three knives and forks. You boys be sure to 
take pepper and salt and matches, then we’ll be all 
fixed.” 

The two boats got away as soon as they could collect 
the things. The girls carried the fishing poles and cook- 
ing supplies in their boat, while the boys’ boat was 
loaded with boxes, pipe, hammers and nails, a saw, 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


233 


lanterns and cord. It was only a short pull to the neck, 
and they set to work in such earnest that it was not long 
before their boat began to assume the appearance of a 
miniature steamboat. But the finishing touches, — the 
cabin windows through which the light must show, and 
the proper arrangement of the strings to work the side 
wheels — took longer than they counted on. The big 
dinner bell sounding from across the lake took them by 
surprise. It also made them realize that they were 
hungry. 

The boys baited their hooks hurriedly, and each taking 
a boat pulled out a bit and cast for the expected bites. 
Patiently they waited, changing their rods from one 
side to the other, and pulling here or there in an effort 
to catch their supper. But either the fish were not hungry 
or else they were plain ugly,’^ as Carter expressed it; 
not even a nibble rewarded their coaxing casts. They 
pulled in at last, sadder and wiser, also hungrier, feeling 
that uncaught fish are a very uncertain quantity. 

The girls meanwhile had kindled a bright fire from 
bits of driftwood which they gathered on the shore. 
The frying pan was in readiness, and the contents of the 
provision box had been spread out to the best of their 
ability, but it made a pretty meagre showing. As they 
gathered about the un-festive board, a vision of crisp, 
brown perch arose before them so plainly that they could 
almost smell the appetizing odor. Ida forgot and smacked 
her lips, but she soon found that the reality, crackers and 
apples, was a poor substitute. 

‘^This makes me think of the old receipt for rabbit 


234 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


pie/’ Iva remarked mischievously. began: ^ First 
catch your rabbit!”’ 

“Guess that applies to fish suppers, too,” was Carter’s 
gloomy answer. 

“Never mind!” Sid spoke teasingly, trying to pat him 
on the back but Carter jerked away. “We’ll surprise 
them when we join the parade even if we are hungry, 
and we couldn’t have done it if we had finished the 
^Clermont’ at the dock. Our hunger ’s in a good cause. 
Too bad about you girls, though!” 

But the “I.’s” promptly reassured him on that point. 

As dusk deepened into darkness they sat in their 
boats, rocking gently, and gazed in silence at the beauti- 
ful picture. The procession was forming on the other 
side of the lake, and one boat after another was trans- 
formed into a fairy-like craft, beautiful or fantastic. 
Beacon fires flared up at several points around the lake, 
and the “Shoot the Chutes” of one of the cottages began 
to glow with a line of red torches up and down its entire 
length. Suddenly the bugle from the boys’ camp 
sounded the Assembly, its clear notes echoing and re- 
echoing from the surrounding mountains. It was evi- 
dently the signal for the start: the boats at once fell into 
line, the towering sail-boat in the lead, and commenced 
a stately progress around the lake. 

Not until then did the quartette awake from the dream 
of beauty before them. Hurriedly lighting their own 
lanterns they shot their boats out into the lake just as 
the procession neared the cove. They overheard many 
exclamations of surprise from the boats floating by, as 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


235 


they rested on their oars and waited to fall in at the end 
of the line. A number of people openly admired the 
girls’ dainty canopied bower, while the ‘^Clermont” 
produced a genuine sensation as she seemed to steam on 
her way, her paddle wheels churning the water rhythmi- 
cally. In reality, they were moved by ropes in Sid’s 
hands, while Carter, seated in the stem, paddled as 
quietly as possible. 

The long line of boats, all in festive array and glowing 
with light, swung slowly around the lake. Gay greetings 
were exchanged as they floated past the camps on the 
shore. Once or twice word was passed along the line 
in regard to the route: Watch out for the rock on the 
right!” Submerged stump near the entrance to the 
channel!” but no mishaps occurred, which was fortunate 
as many of the boats were top-heavy with their load of 
trimmings. It would have been hard to convince a 
spectator who had not seen the boats by daylight, that 
they were all row-boats or canoes. The “ Scrappy Dans’ ” 
decorations towered aloft like a genuine sail-boat whose 
canvas was outlined with lights. 

Guess they stopped, scrapping after we left, and 
buckled down to business,” Carter remarked, gazing at 
the beautiful craft appreciatively. 

Much ingenuity was displayed in all the decorations. 
One canoe was a floating bower of greenery through 
which lanterns peeped out like twinkling stars: another 
bore flaring torches at either end, which made it attrac- 
tive in the parade but failed to add to its desirability as 
a near neighbor. One of the boats held a small tree in 


236 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


whose branches a solitary red lantern was hidden. This 
was immediately christened: '^The Trail of the Lone- 
some Pine.’^ There were boats with swaying festoons, 
and boats with arches, one and all adding to the beauty 
of the scene. 

After the procession had wound its way around the 
lake for the benefit of the audience gathered on shore and 
beach, the boats began to circle the raft, drawing in 
closer and closer until all were massed together, the oc- 
cupants of each boat holding fast to another in order to 
keep themselves from drifting. Comments, compli- 
mentary and otherwise, were exchanged, and a variety 
of songs from ^^Come Where the Lanterns Glow,’^ to 
‘^Solomon Levi,^^ were sung with enjoyment if not 
operatic tunefulness, while the judges were making their 
decision. Once more the doctor ofiiciated as prize-giver 
— ^Hhe price of popularity,’’ he explained it; after 
which modest statement he made the awards amid much 
laughter and applause. For a wonder the decisions met 
with unanimous approval. 

'‘The first prize winner I feel sure needs no annoimce- 
ment: its beauty speaks for itself — the sail-boat! Will 
the 'Scrappy D’ — that is, pardon the mistake! I mean 
will Mr. Allington and Miss Winters kindly step for- 
ward and receive the prize?” 

"Can’t!” the young man sang out cheerfully, not in 
the least provoked by the doctor’s slip of the tongue. 
"Boat’s so top-heavy we had to part our hair in the 
middle and hold our tongues straight or we’d have gone 
over Jiong ago!” 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


237 


“So that accounts for it!^' a voice from the darkness 
exclaimed involuntarily; but what it accounted for was 
not stated, although it was pretty generally understood 
to refer to the calm peace that had prevailed in the sail 
boat. 

“We remembered,’’ the doctor went on, “that each 
boat would probably contain two occupants, so we have 
chosen our prizes accordingly; either something that 
may be divided or that can be used jointly — in this 
case, spoons!” 

Cheer after cheer rang out at the appropriateness of 
the selection, until a voice started the formula: 

“What’s the matter with the ^Scrappy Dans’ ? ” 

“They’re all right!” was the prompt reply. 

“Who’s all right?” 

“The ^Scrappy Dans’ ! ” 

“Who says so?” 

“Everybody!” 

“Who’s everybody?” 

“The ^Scrappy Dans’ ! ” 

After the tumult quieted down the doctor proceeded. 

“And now for the second prize! Our first choice seems 
to have struck the right spot; let us hope the second 
will be equally popular. But if it is not — as you are 
strong, be merciful! Remember, I’m marooned on the 
raft with boats, boats, all about, but not a boat for me! 
And let me assure you, fellow suf — guests, I mean, 
that this judging business is no joke. It’s almost as 
grateful a task as umpiring! Among so many beautiful 
and wonderful efforts,” — he bowed right and left amid 


238 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


cries of Hear! Hear! requires good judgment 

on the part of the committee to make the proper selec- 
tion. Already I have lost many pounds over my strenu- 
ous task.” 

As the doctor weighed over two hundred, his touching 
statement produced hard-hearted laughter instead of 
sympathy. 

‘^In regard to the second prize,” he went on, after 
much thought and discussion, — I did the former, the 
other two judges the latter — we decided to award the 
prize to the really excellent model of the 'Clermont' 
which our young friends have succeeded in producing. 
Considering the resources at hand, or rather the lack of 
them, we think these young people have accomplished 
wonders. I take great pleasure in presenting the second 
prize — behold it, good people, a five-dollar gold piece — 
to Master Sidney Armstrong and Master Lindsay 
Carteret Carroll.” 

The applause which followed was hearty and pro- 
longed enough to assure the judges of the popularity of 
their second award. 

"Whew!” Carter ejaculated in astonishment. "I 
thought it would be a box of candy or something like 
that, but five dollars!” 

"I'll warrant the doctor had a finger in supplying the 
prize money,” Ida remarked sagely, after the two boys 
had tried to put their thanks into words and failed. 
"The boys have kept his boat clean ever since they've 
been here. I heard that the second prize was to be 
photographs of the lakes.” 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


239 


know from the way in which the awards have 
been received/' the doctor went on, 'Hhat they meet 
with the general approbation. It could scarcely be 
otherwise when we see the beauty of one winner and 
the originality of the other; but for the third prize — 
ah! there's the rub! So many beautiful boats, so many 
clever designs — the task of choosing the most beauti- 
ful, the most clever, is indeed a Herculean one. Ladies 
and gentlemen, also the children, at this very moment 
I am reading your thoughts." 

Prove it! Prove it!" came in a shout of dissent. 

^^I'll prove it all right," the doctor declared lightly. 
^'Each one of you, right this minute, is thinking — ‘My 
boat ought to come third!' Am I right?" 

He evidently was, judging from the laughter which 
answered him. 

“You've heard the story of the boy who was asked 
for the core of his apple, haven't you? He answered: 
‘Sure you can have it, but there ain't goin' to be no 
core!' Same here: ‘There ain't goin' to be no third 
prize ! ' Good-night ! " 

The country-dance which followed was a great suc- 
cess, and the guests enjoyed watching the quaint figures 
woven by the dancers: “Bird in a Cage," “Chasing the 
Squirrel," and “Hunting the Fox." But, as Carter 
expressed it, these could not compare, in the eyes 
of four hungry young people with “Marie in the 
pantry chasing bread and cold meat into the dining- 
room and hunting pieces of pie for a finish!" By 
the time they had appeased their hunger, the dance 


240 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S’’ 


was over, and the Growlers’ Parade was in full 
swing. 

They found so much to do each day at the lakes, boat- 
ing, fishing and swimming, walking, driving, and picnics, 
that the month seemed to fly away, and before they 
knew it their very last day at the “Good Times” had 
come. Carter and Sid had been only moderately suc- 
cessful in their fishing trips. Both boys were disap- 
pointed because Mr. Carroll decided, at the last minute, 
not to join them. In fact he did not take any vacation 
at all. Business was dull and he felt that he could not 
afford the added expense, but he did not express it in 
just that way to Mrs. Carroll. He “could n’t spare the 
time, and he’d try to take his vacation later!” Mr. 
Grant appeared for the last few days, however, and 
fished from daylight to dark, making the record catch, 
both for size and numbers, of the whole season. 

On the last morning at the lakes, Ida was swinging 
idly in one of the hammocks not far from the boys’ tent. 
She looked the picture of vacation ease, as she lay 
propped up on bright colored pillows, reading one of 
the new magazines. A large box of chocolates, still 
unopened, lay beside her. Such inactivity was not 
usual with Ida, but she had had a long tramp before 
breakfast that morning, and expected later, to go in 
for a final swim. 

As she reached out lazily for the box of candy, her 
eyes still bent upon her story, she heard a queer rattling 
sound. It startled her at first, but she quickly recovered 
herself and glancing towards the tent saw Carter, Sid 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


241 


and Iva, apparently busy in sorting and dividing their 
snap-shots. The ‘^Good Times very sensibly provided 
a dark room for its guests so that their pictures could 
be developed and printed at once. 

You 're dreadfully funny, aren't you, Car?" she 
called out in sarcastic tones. 

Funny? Why? How?" he answered without look- 
ing up. > 

‘^Mr. Innocent!" she jeered. ^'If I couldn't imitate 
a rattler better than that, I'd — " A scream of terror 
finished her sentence; even while she was speaking, a 
movement not far from the hammock attracted her 
attention, and she found herself gazing at the upreared 
head of a repulsive looking snake. It was about four 
feet long but it lay among the ferns at the foot of the 
tree, and to the terrified girl looked at least twice its 
size, as she stared at the darting fangs with shuddering 
intensity. 

The boys saw it almost as soon as she did, and seizing 
the first weapons they could lay hands upon, which 
proved to be stout saplings cut for mountain climb- 
ing, they rushed towards the reptile. 

Don't move! Don't get out!" Carter shouted in 
warning. ^Tt can't rear up as high as you are." 

“Don't move! " Ida could not have disobeyed the 
command to save her life. She lay propped up on her 
elbow staring at the ugly head with its venomous fangs 
as though completely fascinated. Only after the boys 
had despatched it was she once more capable of motion; 
then she lay back in the hammock shuddering with 


242 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


horror. Carter adopted the very best course to restore 
her to her usual assertiveness. 

take my property, please, he remarked, calmly 
appropriating the box of chocolates. hope they are 
fresh.’^ 

‘‘Those are my chocolates!^' Ida recovered enough to 
interfere. 

“Sid! Produce the evidence!" 

Whereupon Sid ran over to the tent and returned an 
instant later with a small note-book. Carter flipped its 
pages over until he found what he sought. 

“There, my lady! Do you deny that signature? Are 
there, or are there not rattlers in this region?" 

By this time Ida had recovered from her fright suffi- 
ciently to argue the matter. 

“One swallow doesn't make a summer," she began 
lightly, “and neither does — " 

“But it does, too," Carter retorted, interrupting her. 
“Or at any rate it wins the wager, because we distinctly 
said: ‘A rattler!' Isn't he a perfect beauty, though? 
That skin of yours will make handsome belts and pocket- 
books, old fellow," he apostrophized the snake. “Won't 
it, Sid? It must be the male, because it's black and so 
beautifully marked. They always travel in couples, you 
know," he went on, winking at Sid as he spoke. “Mrs. 
Rattler will be trailing along pretty soon." 

“Here! you may have the candy!" Ida said, with a 
nervous glance about before she stepped gingerly out of 
the hammock. “And — please take down our ham- 
mock for me, will you, boys? We won't want to use it 


THE WATER CARNIVAL 


243 


again — I mean it has to be packed. I — I have to 
help mother. She fled into the house as though she 
were sprinting in a dash. 

Guess Mrs. Grant must have sent her a wireless 
message/^ Sid laughed. “Where did Iva go?’^ 

“Iva? She disappeared the instant she caught sight 
of his majesty. Guess she received an earlier message. 
Isn^t that just like girls, though! Regular scare-cats 

“Sometimes,^’ Sid amended: “but sometimes they^re 
as brave as can be. Ida’s like that, only this didn’t 
happen to be one of her brave times! Come on and get 
this fellow skinned while we’re about it.” 

“All right! I’ll put these chocolates into our grip 
first. We’ll eat them to-morrow on the train.” 

The next day was the first of September and the 
party left for Staten Island on the early train, after what 
the “I.’s” agreed was the jolliest vacation they had 
ever had: a verdict which the boys endorsed most 
heartily. Even Mrs. Grant admitted that she had been 
both comfortable and contented at the “Good Times.” 

“I don’t know what its charm is, though,” she ac- 
knowledged frankly. 

“Oh, it’s just free and easy and good-timey,” Ida 
explained. “That’s why the same people come back 
year after year. We’re coming again next year,” she 
added as though stating a foregone conclusion. 

“Oh! indeed!” her mother ejaculated, as she turned to 
Mrs. Carroll laughingly. “My girls seem to have be- 
come thoroughly Americanized, do you not agree Avith 
me? I hope they will take their mother with them, 


244 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


because — but two loving arms were about her neck 
and a contrite girlish voice whispered for her ear alone: 
‘‘We^re coming if the very best mother in the whole 
world will bring us!^’ 

When they reached the Island, the "ladies rode up 
from the ferry, but there was some delay in securing a 
carriage so the rest of the party reached home first. As 
they separated at the corner and the boys neared their 
own gate, a brown streak shot out and threw itself upon 
Carter, little red tongue licking his face with frantic joy, 
little brown tail waving eager welcome. Carter gathered 
the small dog up in his arms and hugged him frankly. 

Minnie, her pretty face wreathed in smiles, waited at 
the gate looking as though she wanted to follow the 
dog^s welcoming rush. 

'^My! but I am that thankful to see you,^’ she said, 
shaking hands with them both. ‘‘It^s a lonesome house 
without any boys in it, that it is! Are you glad to get 
back. Car? I suppose, though, you had fine times.'' 

'^Yep, we did, Min, and lots of them! The lakes are 
all right, but there's no place like h-o-m-e!" 


CHAPTER XVII 


Latchstrings Out 

By the beginning of the second week of September all 
the I. were home, and work and play were 

resumed as though there had been no break for vaca- 
tion. School was to open the following Monday, so the 
club decided to use the last Saturday of the holidays for 
a trip of some kind. 

'^The beach is n^t much fun now,’^ Johnny said regret- 
fully. '^Most of the things are shut up and the water 
colder than it usually is this early in the month.’^ 

“Let^s go fishing, then,” Sid suggested. ^^Wish we 
could catch some perch or a pickerel, instead of those 
everlasting sunnies. We ought to get an early start 
though; they say they bite better before the sun is up.” 

Guess they have to bite before the sunny ^s up,” 
Johnny remarked with a chuckle at his own joke. ‘^If 
they did n’t, the sunny would n’t be up.” 

But the rest ignored the pun if they saw it at all. 
Before they separated it was agreed that the first one 
awake should rouse the others. 

^^Latchstrings out, remember!” Carter warned. ‘‘I 
won’t be the first this time because I can’t take Min’s 
clock any more. The last time I borrowed it the alarm 
went off at two o’clock. I tried to smother the noise 


246 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


under my pillow, but the old thing fell on the floor and 
hopped about at a great rate. You usually wake early, 
Sid; be sure to come after me first.^^ 

Sid was to spend the night with Arthur, whose mother 
had made the invitation so urgent the lad could not 
refuse. The two boys had been better friends since 
their summer separation, but Arthur was — Arthur, a 
very trying companion at times, and Sid did not really 
relish the prospect, even though he was genuinely fond 
of Mrs. Boynton. 

Carter ran up to the third story before going to bed 
that night to arrange with Minnie for a lunch. At the 
top of the stairs he stopped and whistled softly. Minnie 
knew the signal. 

^‘Say, Min,’’ he explained, ^‘I’m going off before 
sunrise to-morrow — going fishing up at Clove Lake. 
Put up something for me, won’t you?” 

^^Aw! Wait an’ git yer breakfast like a Christian,” 
she coaxed, as she appeared at her door in all the glory 
of a bright red kimona. She was ready for her beauty 
sleep, and yawned loudly as she spoke. 

“Can’t, Min, honestly,” Carter informed her, visions 
of an uncut lawn and unswept paths rising before him. 
“If I wait I’ll — I mean the fish don’t bite worth a cent 
except early in the morning. You’ll fix up the lunch, 
won’t you? And don’t forget to put some cake in. 
Put a lot.” 

“All right,” she assented with great good humor, 
although it meant rising at least a half hour earlier than 
usual. 


LATCHSTRINGS OUT 


247 


Mr. Carroll was wont to declare that Carter could 
twist Minnie around his little finger, but Mrs. Carroll 
always insisted that Minnie seemed to enjoy the twist- 
ing. At any rate she was very fond of the boy, and he 
of her. 

After Carter was ready for bed he produced from the 
drawer of his desk, a ball of stout top cord from one 
end of which dangled a piece of lead. Tied at the other 
end were two tin shoe-homs, a button hook, and a 
metal paper cutter. He fastened this contrivance in 
place by weaving the shoe-hom end in and out of the 
iron posts of his bed immediately above his pillow. The 
cord was then carried across the room and the weighted 
end allowed to dangle outside to within about five feet 
of the ground. The slightest pull on the weight caused 
the shoe-homs to jingle loudly against the bed-posts. 
At first the I. G.’s^’ had been in the habit of fasten- 
ing the cords to their wrists, but Mr. Carroll happened 
to discover the arrangement, and peremptorily forbade 
it, at least as far as his own boy was concerned. 

^^You could easily have your wrist dislocated,’^ he 
explained. You’ll have to use some other method, my 
son. And while we are on the subject of early rising, it 
is all right for you to wake each other but you must not 
stand about afterwards directly under the windows and 
talk. Your mother and I like to sleep even if you don’t. 
Tell the boys to move on after this, or else keep quiet, 
do you understand?” 

Carter settled down for the night as soon as his ‘^latch- 
string” was arranged to his satisfaction, but his mind 


248 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


was so full of the plan for the next day that it was some 
time before he went to sleep. When he did, finally, he 
was restless, tossing from one side to the other, and 
dreaming all sorts of queer dreams. In one of them he 
thought he saw Dixie Doodle turn into a great black cat 
that hissed and spit at him when he tried to capture it. 
Next, it seemed that the “S. I. G.^s’’ had been dis- 
gracefully beaten by the Stars,’’ and that Mrs. Harper, 
their own Mrs. Harper, had invited the rival club to a 
party. Carter was trying to explain to her why the 
‘‘S. I. G.’s” had not won, and was urging her to invite 
them instead of the “Stars,” when he awakened enough 
to realize that the good lady was still true to them. 

After that he slept more soundly for a short time, but 
soon began on another dream in which he was pulling 
in a small-mouthed black bass of tremendous size, while 
the rest of the “S. I. G.’s” stood about in an admiring 
semi-circle. Just as he disdainfully refused the net and 
was preparing to land it with a flourish, the fish gave a 
big jump which freed it from the hook and sent him 
sprawling over on his back, at which the onlookers jeered 
and clapped their hands in derision. With an angry 
exclamation he awoke with a start and heard the shoe- 
horns jingling merrily over his head. He gazed about 
him, dazed from sleep for an instant, then scrambled 
out of bed and hurried to the window. 

“All right, fellows!” he called out softly. “Be down 
in a minute!” 

A subdued giggle sounded from below, then a whis- 
pered consultation followed by the sound of retreating 


LATCHSTRINGS OUT 


249 


footsteps. He hurriedly splashed a little water over his 
face and hands — time enough to clean up when he 
returned — and getting into his clothes in short order, 
started down the stairs his shoes dangling in his hand. 
Yawning sleepily, he sat down on the lowest piazza 
step to put them on. It seemed to be earlier than they 
usually started on their jaunts, but autumn weather had 
set in, and that meant long nights and short days. 
Besides, if the rest of the club could stand it, the 
captain surely could. 

He hurried to the nearest comer but the boys were 
nowhere to be seen, so he retraced his steps along the 
block, until he came to the Boynton^s, where Arthur^s 
cord dangled from his window, in proof that he and Sid 
were not yet up. Carter opened the gate and had almost 
reached the cord when a sharp voice arrested him. 

^^Here! Here! boy! What are you doing? 

It was the private watchman for the block, who had 
stopped on his round and stood at the gate regarding 
him suspiciously. For an instant Carter was tempted 
to retort that he was minding his own business and he 
wished that other folks would do the same; but he re- 
membered just in time that this was the man’s business; 
that it was this very watchfulness which earned his 
living. 

“I’m waking up two of the fellows,” he explained in 
a whisper. “They’re regular old sleepy heads: the rest 
are up long ago.” 

“Sleepy-heads? Well, why shouldn’t they be sleepy- 
heads? What d’ you want to wake ’em up for?” 


250 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. G/S 


^^To go fishing/’ 

Fishing?” the man repeated. '‘That is a fish story! 
Fishing! At this time o’ night! • Look here, boy — ” 

"We always go early,” Carter whispered. 

"But it’s only twelve o’clock!” 

"I don’t believe it!” was the sulky contradiction. 

"See for yourself, then.” The man held out his watch, 
and as Carter drew near enough to examine it, he seized 
him by the shoulder, and peered into his face. 

"Well! if it isn’t young Carroll! Somebody’s been 
ringing in a joke on you, young man.” 

"Jerking it in, you mean,” was Carter’s inward com- 
ment. Forgetting even to thank the watchman he hurried 
along the block and counted the dangling cords: mid- 
night or not, he felt that he must find out who had tricked 
him. But not one of them was wound in as they always 
were after the owner was aroused. 

"Just wait ’til I find out who did it,” he muttered 
wrathfully, his fists clenching: "I’ll settle him all 
right!” 

It had begun to drizzle while he was talking to the 
watchman, and now it set to work in earnest. He had 
forgotten his key in his haste, and rather than ring up 
his father he would have stayed on the side piazza for 
the rest of the night, but as he crouched back in the corner 
shivering and uncomfortable, he heard a window raised 
above him. It was Minnie who had been forced to close 
her front window on account of the rain, and was raising 
the dormer window at the side to take its place. 

"Hey, Min! Oh, Min!” he whispered after the 


LATCHSTRINGS OUT 


251 


softly whistled signal which she recognized at once. 
^^Come down and let me in. Hurry! Don’t make a 
racket!” Minnie obeyed promptly and silently, and in 
a few minutes he again snuggled into bed, his wrath still 
at boiling point. 

^'Anyhow I’m glad it wasn’t one of the ^S. I. G.’s,’” 
he thought with relief: a traitor in camp is so much 
harder to deal with than one on the outside. 

At first he felt deeply mortified over the affair and 
determined to keep it to himself; but after all, nine 
detectives are better than one, no matter how earnest 
that one may be; so it ended by his telling the whole 
story when the boys assembled at the Carrolls’ later, as 
they always did on stormy days. They discussed the 
false alarm in all its bearings, but were unable to arrive 
at any solution of the mystery. They felt pretty sure 
that some of the Stars ” were at the bottom of it; but 
which ones? 

It was Carter alone who had been tricked, but to judge 
from the boys’ talk, one would have thought that nine 
boys had been rudely aroused and sent on a wild-goose 
chase along the block. This was the I. G.” idea of 
brotherhood. Good-luck to one meant good-luck to all, 
and ill-luck, ditto. All unknown to the boys themselves 
this was a good experience for them, making them ready 
to help and sympathize with others. 

‘^Everything comes to him who — watches,” Sid 
changed the quotation to suit the case in hand. 

“And if it don’t come we’ll go after it,” Johnny sup- 
plemented determinedly. 


252 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G.’S 


But they did not have to go after it: it came. The 
last mail that afternoon brought Carter a sheaf of cards 
which made his fists double up wrathfully at first. Later 
he saw the joke in a better light and laughed heartily 
over them. Two were pen and ink sketches, and very 
clever ones they were. The first was a picture of an open 
window, a dangling cord, and several shadowy forms 
beneath. It was labeled Touching Confidence!” The 
other was also a picture of an open window framing a 
figure in pajamas. This was marked: ‘^We touch the 
button: you do the rest!” 

One of the cards said: '^DonT get grumpy. WeVe 
just stringing you!” Another read: ^‘Latchstrings on 
the outside, friends!” A third bore a revised version of 
a well-known nursery rhyme: 

Early to bed and early to rise 

Will make a boy healthy and wealthy and wise! 

Also wrathy!” 

The Carrolls had a hearty laugh over the cards. Carter 
had begun to see that the temptation to do just what 
the Stars ” had done would be almost irresistible to the 
average boy, and his resentment melted away. His 
good-natured view of the case infected the rest of the 
club, and when they met the Stars ” at drill the follow- 
ing Thursday, they greeted them with cheerful grins 
instead of the scowls originally down on the card as their 
portion. 

‘^Don^t rub it in. Cooper,” Carter urged laughingly, 
as he marched up to the captain of the rival team. 


LATCHSTRINGS OUT 


253 


^'Not much!” Cooper replied admiringly. ^^You ^re 
all right, Carroll!” 

This little episode cleared away the last touch of ill- 
feeling between the two teams. On the diamond they 
were still rivals, and pretty evenly matched at that, 
but they gradually became better acquainted and even 
enjoyed several outings together. 

“The ^S. I. G.’s^ are a pretty good set,” Cooper in- 
formed his team, “and that captain of theirs is a dandy!” 
Which shows that it is a good thing after all to know 
how to take a joke. 

Poor Mr. Carroll was not finding life much of a joke 
just at this time, however. Business was dull: several 
contracts which he counted upon as secure, slipped 
through his fingers. Strange to say each of these landed 
in the office of his neighbor, Mr. Walton, who was also 
a contractor. Mr. Carroll could not imderstand it, but 
he redoubled his efforts at the office. At home, where he 
was usually full of jokes and ready to enter into every- 
thing with hearty, almost boyish interest, he became 
taciturn and abstracted, and often gave short replies or 
failed to answer at all. 

Mrs. Carroll seemed to have her share of trouble also. 
She appeared at dinner, the night that Carter received 
the cards, with reddened eyelids and subdued manner, 
but she refused any explanation when he asked what 
was the trouble. 

“Strange I did n’t get my letter,” Sid said anxiously. 
“The English mail is in to-day, is n’t it?” 

“Yes,” Mrs. Carroll answered softly. “Your mother 


254 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


is — is probably busy — unable to write, you know,'^ 
she added hurriedly. “Mr. Carroll had a letter from 
your father, Sid. He says business is very good, indeed, 
very good!^’ 

“I wish she would write, though,’’ Sid said with a sigh. 
“It’s pretty long between letters even when they’re 
regular, but it’s longer still if they don’t come.” 

Mrs. Carroll spoke very gently whenever she answered 
the boy. She seemed anxious to make up to him for that 
other love that he was missing so sorely. He and his 
mother were closer companions than growing sons and 
their mothers usually are, possibly because of her frail 
health. 

“Poor boy!” Mrs. Carroll exclaimed, with tears in 
her eyes, as soon as the boys had left the table. “It’s 
hard to deceive him, but his father thinks he will worry 
unnecessarily. If his mother gets — gets worse — we’ll 
have to tell him.” 

“Wait until the next mail,” Mr. Carroll advised. “He 
can’t go to her, and it will drive him wild to be left in un- 
certainty. Under the circumstances I think his father is 
right, but it’s hard for the little woman who has to keep 
the lad from suspecting the truth, is n’t it? I ’m afraid 
you were not entirely successful: Sid did not seem to find 
your explanation very satisfactory. It did n’t ring true, 
you know.” 

That night Mrs. Carroll tossed uneasily. She had 
prayed with all her faith for her friend’s recovery, and 
that her friend’s boy would be given strength to bear 
it, if the prayer could not be granted. Unable to sleep, 


LATCHSTRINGS OUT 


255 


she gave up the attempt at last, and throwing a dressing 
gown over her shoulders stole into the boys^ room. They 
were both lying quiet and she was about to tiptoe out 
again, when two wide-open eyes stared up at her from 
a white face. 

^'What is the matter with my mother? the boy 
demanded simply. He spoke in a low tone for fear of 
disturbing Carter. ^^DonT try to keep it from me, 
please: iUs no use.” 

Kneeling beside him she told him of the grave illness 
that had come upon his mother. His father had sum- 
moned one of London’s best physicians, a man with a 
world-wide reputation. They must wait and hope that 
God would spare her life. Her own tears fell as she put 
her arms about the poor boy and smoothed the thick 
dark hair with loving touch. 

And she did comfort him, hard as the trial was. The 
boy’s words before she left him more than repaid her 
for any care or inconvenience his visit to them was 
causing. 

“Thank you,” he said softly, as she got up to go. “I 
don’t see how I could bear it if I were any place else than 
here!” 

Fortunately he did not have to bear it long. By 
noon the next day a cablegram brought the joyful news 
that the crisis was over, and Mrs. Armstrong was on the 
road to recovery. But short as the time had been Sid 
showed the effects of the strain for several days. He 
realized more than ever before, what his mother was to 
him. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


Outside the Hook 

September and even early October were usually quite 
summery on Staten Island, but this year autumn ap- 
peared determined to claim her full quota of days. It 
seemed as though she were pointing an accusing finger 
at the calendar and saying: ^^YouVe escaped me be- 
fore, but IVe got the best of summer this year! See the 
leaves! Hear the wind! Feel the bite in my air! Now, 
do you believe me?^^ 

The weather had been threatening for almost a week, 
the sky filled with angry-looking clouds, the wind giving 
a fair imitation of its wintry howl, but the first Saturday 
in October seemed to promise a fair day. 

^^I guess that big coast storm the weather bureau has 
been predicting for the last few days has lost its way,’' 
Mr. Carroll remarked, looking up from his paper. Min- 
nie was putting breakfast on the table, and he had been 
reading the weather report while he waited. The boys 
had not yet appeared. ^‘They’ve had the storm signals 
out, though, and have sent warnings to all the vessels 
they can reach by wireless, so they must be expecting it 
all right. I wish I knew what to depend on.” 

^^Why?” Mrs. Carroll was lighting the alcohol lamp 
under her coffee percolator, but she stopped and regarded 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


257 


him curiously until the match gave her a warm reminder. 
‘^What difference does it make to you, pray? Are you 
starting on a sea voyage, or are you afraid the ferries will 
foimder?^^ she inquired mischievously. 

Neither, my dear; but Atkins was in my office yester- 
day — youVe heard me speak of him: he^s the head of 
one of the big towing companies, you remember. He 
offered to take the boys out beyond Sandy Hook to-day, 
if they care to go.^’ 

“ Care to go? Why, they will be simply wild about it ! 

I ^d like to go myself,'^ Mr. Carroll remarked longingly. 
‘^There’s fine deep-sea fishing right from the tug. They 
may have to wait about for their tow, he says, so he of- 
fered to put me off on Romer Shoals Light if I preferred 
fishing from the rocks, but I hardly feel as though I can 
spare the whole day. I might take the boys over, though, 
and let them see one of the fire-boats. That will give 
the weather time to make up its mind. Atkins says 
his boat doesnT go out until eleven. DonT say any- 
thing about that part of the trip until we decide.^^ 

Just then Carter and Sid hurried in, followed by 
Dixie Doodle, and the family sat down to breakfast. 

suppose you boys are pretty busy these days,’^ 
Mr. Carroll remarked carelessly, after the blessing was 
over. 

Yes, sir,’^ Sid answered. ‘‘The days don’t seem half 
long enough, especially Saturdays.” 

“I know how it used to be,” Mr. Carroll agreed, his 
eyes twinkling. “School breaks into a day dreadfully, 
does n’t it? I suppose that makes Saturday doubly pre- 


258 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


cious; but I was going to suggest that if you have the 
time — 

^^Oh! please don^t ask anything for to-day, father,^' 
Carter broke in imploringly. ^^We^re going to ride over 
to BulFs Head after apples. Saturday 's the one day 
that nobody interferes with, thank goodness!^’ 

‘‘Oh! I see!’^ Mr. Carroll exclaimed meekly. “I 
won^t make that suggestion after all. Good-bye, boys: 
be good to yourselves. Good-bye, lady! ” He kissed his 
wife affectionately as he spoke, a caress he had never 
forgotten in all the years he had been married. “Meet 
me at the Battery at nine-thirty sharp, dear. If you get 
there before I do, wait for me on the boat.’' 

“ On the boat? ” Carter repeated. What boat? ” 

“The fire-boat, dear,” Mrs. Carroll answered care- 
lessly, after a significant look from her husband. 

“But what’s mother going to do on a fire-boat?” 
Carter persisted. 

“Just explore it, that’s all. They are really quite 
interesting, and so is the house.” 

“But I want to explore it, too,” the boy began vehe- 
mently. “Why, Sid and I have just been crazy to go 
over a fire-boat, have n’t we, Sid?” 

Sid nodded eagerly, but Mr. Carroll walked towards 
the door, remarking casually: “Yes, they are interesting. 
Good-bye!” 

“But father,” Carter hurried after him, and laid a 
detaining hand on his arm; “can’t we go, too? Please!” 

“On Saturday, precious Saturday, that no one inter- 
feres with, thank goodness? I could n’t think of 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


259 


suggesting even a visit to a fire-boat on that day, 
son” 

^'Oh, you know I did n^t mean it. I — ” 

‘^All right, Car,” his father dropped his teasing 
manner. would like to break you of your habit of 
jumping to conclusions, that’s all. Meet me at South 
Ferry at nine forty-five. Wear something warm: the 
wind seems pretty sharp in spite of the sunshine.” 

Mrs. Carroll and the boys were on hand at the ap- 
pointed place promptly. As soon as Mr. Carroll ap- 
peared they walked over to the fire-boat station. The 
‘‘New Yorker” was at its dock and there was not much 
on it that escaped Carter’s and Sid’s keen eyes that morn- 
ing, from the many hose with their brilliantly polished 
nozzles, to the powerful engines. The captain good- 
humoredly answered their numberless questions. 

‘^No wonder the fire-boats can put out such big fires,” 
Sid commented admiringly. “These pumps throw 
tremendous streams: we watched them at the cotton 
docks’ fire.” 

“And there’s never any lack of water, remember,” 
the captain added. “That’s the advantage of being 
able to pump salt water.” 

From the boat they went to the fire-boat headquarters 
close by. One of the firemen explained the signals, and 
the boys found it quite exciting sliding down the brass 
pole in answer to imaginary emergency calls. 

Mr. Carroll looked at his watch and consulted his 
wife in a hurried aside, then the two examined the sky 
critically. 


260 THE CAPTAIN OF THE ‘‘S. I. 


'^Oh, I suppose it will be all right/ ^ she replied, in 
answer to his low-toned question. ^'They may not 
have such an opportunity again, so I hate to deprive 
them of it. I '11 be a little anxious though. I wish you 
were going too." 

‘‘But I 'm not storm-proof," he replied teasingly. 
“ I 'm sure we can trust the boys. Neither of them seems 
inclined to attempt foolhardy stunts. Come on! We '11 
have to hurry I We are to meet Atkins at ten forty-five." 

As they walked along the Battery, Mr. Atkins himself 
overtook them. He was a bluff, good-humored man 
with a breezy, decisive way of speaking that appealed 
to the boys even before they found out who he was. 
Mr. Carroll introduced him to his wife. 

“Mr. Atkins, dear." 

“Glad to know you, Mrs. Carroll; glad to know you! 
These yours?" he inquired shaking hands with the boys 
as he spoke. 

“One is ours and one is a loan," she replied. “We 
have been inspecting the ‘New Yorker.'" 

“So you're interested in boats, are you?" he asked 
turning to the boys. “That's good! very good! Won't 
you join the party, Mrs. Carroll? I 've promised your 
husband some first-rate fishing." 

“Party?" “Fishing?" The boys stared at him in 
surprise. 

“My boat's about ready to start," Mr. Atkins con- 
tinued. “Glad to have you if you '11 come." 

“Not I, thank you!" Mrs. Carroll shook her head 
decidedly. “Why, our ferries are almost too much for 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


261 


me on a rough day, so you can understand what a poor 
sailor I am. Imagine me outside the Hook! I went out 
one day during the yacht races several years ago. Mr. 
Carroll and I were guests on one of the revenue cutters. 
That once was enough for me! I had always imagined 
that a boat at anchor was fairly quiet, but I learned 
differently that day. It was rather rough weather and 
we went up, up, up, then down, down, down, until I 
began to fear that the boat would get absent-minded 
and turn a somersault. No, thank you, Mr. Atkins! 
But the boys might — 

“Oh!^' Carter and Sid exclaimed almost as one voice. 
Outside Sandy Hook! It seemed too good to be true. 
They looked at Mr. Atkins, their whole hearts in their 
eyes. Suppose he only meant the invitation for Mr. 
and Mrs. Carroll. 

“Oh! I ^m depending on the boys,^^ he said, laughing 
at their eager faces. “I ’ll take good care of them.” 

“It is very kind of you,” Mrs. Carroll answered 
simply. “If I were only sure of the weather — ” 

“Don’t worry!” he assured her lightly. “We’re 
about due for a blow, but the * Invincible’ is worthy of 
her name. I ’ve yet to see the storm she ’s afraid to 
poke her nose into. Ocean going tugs, you know, are 
built to stand the roughest weather. Come on, boys!” 

Mrs. Carroll went on towards the ferry after giving 
Carter strict injunctions to return home as soon as they 
landed at the Battery. Mr. Carroll left for his office, 
and the boys accompanied Mr. Atkins on board the 
tug and were introduced to the captain. 


262 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^‘IVe brought you a couple of passengers, Mac. 
They /d like to go out with you to-day if they wonT 
be in the way.’’ 

The captain, a good-humored blonde giant whom 
the boys liked immediately, hesitated for a moment. 

Looks a bit nasty over there, sir,’’ he said finally. 

Might have our hands full outside.” He glanced un- 
certainly towards the boys who were feeling decidedly 
crestfallen, as their faces plainly showed. ^‘But they ’ll 
be all right if they ’re not afraid of rough weather,” he 
added kindly. 

At this they brightened up and assured him that they 
were afraid of nothing; and before the tug had passed 
the Statue of Liberty they had scraped acquaintance 
with all the crew, and explored the craft from stem to 
stem. She was powerfully built and seemed to justify 
her owner’s faith in her staunchness. 

Mr. Atkins himself was not on board, but the captain 
had taken the boys in charge. As they steamed down 
the Narrows close to the Staten Island side. Carter 
pointed out their church, their school, and even the 
house itself. But before they reached the forts talk- 
ing had become somewhat difficult owing to the rising 
wind. 

‘‘Just look at South Beach!” Carter shouted in Sid’s 
ear, pointing back towards the shore as they were oppo- 
site the Quarantine Islands. “Don’t look much like 
bathing there now, does it? Whew! that wave must 
have gone clear over the board walk!” 

“If it ’s this rough here in the lower bay, won’t it be 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


263 


a corker outside the Hook, though?^’ Sid shouted back 
exultingly. 

Both boys had put on the heavy sweaters which they 
had objected so strenuously to bringing with them. 
But they had not then been told of this part of the day ^s 
program. The captain appeared as they were speaking, 
with two oilskin outfits over his arm. 

' “Here, my boys, put these on, and keep on this side 
of the pilot house, do you understand? This wind is a 
zephyr compared to the blow that ^s on outside. I 
promised Mr. Atkins I ^d take care of you, and I ^11 
spank you like a father if you donT mind.’^ But a jolly 
laugh and twinkling eyes took the edge off the threat. 
The boys were glad to have the slickers which covered 
them from head to heel. The oilskin caps fitted down 
closely over their heads, and were provided with pro- 
tecting capes. The wind was driving the fine spray 
even to the upper deck where they were standing, but 
they were now impervious to it. 

As they fiew past one of the lighthouses built on a 
small rocky island set in a wide waste of water. Carter 
turned to the captain and remarked: “Must be slow, 
living in a little dot of a place like that. I donT see what 
they find to do.^^ 

“Keeping the light in order takes some time,^^ the 
captain answered. “They find other things to do, too. 
Why, that fellow there raises all his own vegetables.^^ 

The boys eyed the rocky island in utter astonishment. 
It was so small that the substantial base of the light 
tower almost completely covered it. 


264 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


‘'But I donT see how/^ Sid exclaimed. 

“From the tender, my boy, from the tender !’’ And 
the captain guffawed loudly at his own joke. “You 
boys bit first-rate, did nT you? Why, sons, that ^s a 
standing joke out here: almost as old as the Hook itself. 
Joking aside, though, you ought to take a trip in one of 
those lighthouse tenders. You ^d enjoy it first-rate. 
Mr. Atkins could get you a pass, I reckon; but they 're 
not easy to get. Here comes a liner," he added, point- 
ing to a majestic steamship that was almost abreast 
of them. In spite of the gale, its rails were crowded 
with passengers. “Guess those fellows are glad enough 
to get in. They 'd have to wait outside if this had been | 
fog instead of wind. It 's no joke taking a steamer like | 
that through the channel in a storm. This kind of 
weather 's hard on the officers, but it 's easy on the 
commissary department: dining-room saves money 
every time. And that reminds me," he added chuckling 
as he consulted his watch; are you fellows pretty good 
sailors? Let me see! If a man gets greenery-yallery 
about the gills he 's not goin' to be keen after his grub. 
Could n't eat a bite of lunch about this time, could you?" 

The boys assured him that they could, and proved it I 
to him after they were seated at the table. The “bite 
of lunch" was, in reality, a hearty dinner, but they both 
ate with undiminished appetites even though the dishes 
were dancing jigs against the guard rails, while the table 
itself seemed bent on touching the ceiling of the cabin 
whenever a great wave struck them. 

By the time dinner was over they had pushed through | 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


265 


the channel from the lower bay and the swell of the 
Atlantic was making itself felt: not the dimpling, smiling 
expanse trimmed with gay little white-caps and dotted 
with pleasure-craft, which they had often beheld from 
the Coney Island boats, but a surging, poimding ocean 
whose great waves towered threateningly above the 
tug making it appear the veriest shell on its angry bosom. 
Huge green mountains of water rose around them, each 
one seeming about to crush them in its downward rush, 
but the tug cut through them head on, now high, now 
low, sending the angry foam flying hissing from her bow, 
and leaving a wide wake of whitened water behind her. 
The spray rained down on deck making the boys more 
than grateful for their seamen’s rig. 

“There’ll be something doing to-day,” the captain 
assured them. “If my tow don’t show up pretty quick 
we ’ll scud for cover ourselves. At the rate it ’s blowing 
now we ’ll be in for the real article in the way of weather 
in an hour or so. You won’t find the ^Invincible’ or 
any other tug cruisin’ around out here just for the fun 
of the thing. We ’ll — ” 

He broke off suddenly, and seizing a powerful marine 
glass that hung just within the window of the pilot house, 
he gazed intently in the direction of the coast. 

“The blame fool!” he muttered wrathfully. “What 
does he think he ’s doin’, anyhow! He ’ll get all that ’s 
a’ cornin’ to him pretty soon, if he don’t watch out! 
She ’s in a mighty ticklish position already. She ’ll 
strike as sure as shootin’ if he don’t put about.” 

“She” referred to a bark rigged vessel between the 


266 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


tug and the coast. The captain studied her movements 
intently for a few moments, then passed the glass to the 
boys but reclaimed it almost immediately. They were 
near enough to the struggling vessel, however, to follow 
its movements with the naked eye. 

They learned later that the vessel was the Molly 
Pitcher’’ bound from Savannah to Perth Amboy with 
a cargo of lumber and railroad ties. She had run into 
the full strength of the gale after picking up the light 
at Navesink Highlands. 

“There! I thought so!” the Captain shouted angrily. 
“No! she’s off again! It’s more good luck than she 
deserves. That captain there would risk his boat, to 
say nothing of the lives of his crew, trying to make a 
run for harbor, rather than waste a day or two weatherin’ 
it out at sea. That surf shows him how nigh he is to 
the shoals but he ’s in for it now. In fair weather he c ’d 
make a close shave of it, probably, but in this wind — 
well, it ’s a reg’lar sailor’s gamble. He ’s making a 
plucky run for it, I must say. Mebbe he’ll — no! by 
thunder! she ’s done for!” 

Even while he was speaking the bark stopped in its 
headlong career, gave a decided bump, lurched, then 
bumped again. At the second shock the two forward 
masts went by the board. The crew immediately let go 
both port and starboard anchors. At first they dug into 
the sand, but the heave and the swing with which the 
doomed ship gave way to the head seas soon showed 
that the anchors were dragging. By degrees the sailors 
paid out the cable, a hundred feet at a time, but it only 



“ At the second shock the two forward masts went by the board. ’ ’ 

Page 266. 




1 






• ■-< 


\ 


■' i‘‘ 


« I 

r. 


r »1 «■ 


• ■/'■;•'•■: ■.•Kv/ 

* ■■ ' .'• ,-H 

t / 




« * 










•« « 


I • . * 





./ » 




*•► ; 


I 


• « 


>. 


• ^ 


/ '■ 



, <« 
' ^ I 




!,> ♦V 

X 


s^; 


« 


N. . .V 


•O - 


, > ' t ,' « V 1 

^ '■ C * ’ I •’* ■ /* 

■, ■'f/ 

' I . • /-s' ".i, 

I I . ■ ; I y* ^ . f • • F 



' »;1^ \ - 

r •.' . 


* ’ 



I '• 


'V 


^ V'V' V’ - ^ '. 

i ...'^^ 
^1/^* • 

t > - k 


; 'Ir 


■\> 

U "■'• : 


\ 


T» i 

vV • ' V 

Mjli •.' 




I ' 


V'l- 




'f 


• _ • 





*' ** I 


:K 


"j •!. 

/T i ^ 

' ■ ? • 


‘ 

• ♦ • 


■ V'-"- - 

. ... \ ^ .-■ X 

• ' f ’ e • . . i. \ it. 

■A V. -■ 


,f 


X J 


ft 

4 


\ 


^ < 




I 

k ^ 




•« # * 

% !'• 


» ‘ 


Z'' *■' 


t 

I 




-• 1 i 







I 


I 

% 




• t 



* k 


• '* 






^ r "'I 

•• > .:^v uik 


< .» 


' 1 ■ • 

% 

- ' s • 

. '-‘J'k- 

.• * ' , 

' 'k' . 

'f 

, k M , 

7 
r > 

« * 

.‘1 

' *. • 


( 

., • 



« ' kk . ’ • 






1 



» . ^ 

« 

'• • > * 

<-'■ ■ V, • ^ 

' % 'X ► f"* * •* ■'• 

• 

* ^ % i 

4 


V 

' # ^ i ■ .' • , • • ' 

k. < ‘ . 

• ^ • 

■ , •, 

* '. 

4 

ft 

4 , 

» 

• 

< F # ' • 

- 


•• 

■ M , 


o - 


fc*l 

X 

\ • 

k_ _ 


\ > 

•. f 
•v 

■U' ■ 

1 

*• • 

» '.• 

• •■ > 

” . J • 

k. • • 

• > ♦ 

ft 

• c 

• 

f , 

4 




k « . • 

• 

1 

y 




f 

* .* 

» 



^ V ' - '* 

ijv"^ V 

I -k-y V ' M - 

. ;■'. 

*' f' 

; I' 






I 1 


i. 

f *- 

■ \ 

\ 


«« 


• »• 

V 


> ' « 


'V % 

% 

if 



if. -;■ ^ * 






■ 


r 


x«* 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


267 


brought her up for a few moments: the terrific gale that 
now swept down upon her soon caused her to drag again. 
It was only a question of minutes: even the boys could 
see that her position was hopeless. As they gazed horror- 
stricken with the pity of it, they saw the sailors on the 
bark climb into the rigging and lash themselves to the 
remaining mast. 

Even before she struck, the life-savers at Sandy Hook 
were out in their power boat which was supposed to 
withstand any gale. But the staunch little boat for 
once found herself unable to make headway after leaving 
the shelter of the inner beach, so she was taken in tow 
by the “ Invincible.^^ Together they fought their way as 
near as possible to the wreck, but after several attempts 
to reach her they were forced to turn back. 

It was during the last of these attempts that both 
tug and lifeboat barely escaped shipwreck themselves, 
and the captain, realizing the utter hopelessness of the 
situation, and unwilling to endanger the lives of his 
crew needlessly, gave up the struggle to reach the bark. 
The boys, watching with tense faces, understood the 
seriousness of their situation, but in the excitement it 
seemed of no importance whatever. They imderstood 
afterwards the courage or indifference that comes to 
men in the face of grave danger. As the tug put about, 
both boys sent up an involuntary prayer for help from 
above for the crew of the doomed vessel; human aid 
was powerless. 

Meanwhile the life-savers on shore were trying to fire 
a line over the wreck. Their gun was one of the most 


268 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


powerful in the service, but again and again the line fell 
short. It was almost an hour later, an hour of anguished 
impotence on the part of the watchers, that a momen- 
tary lull in the force of the gale permitted the shot to 
carry the line within reach of the shipwrecked sailors, : 
who made it fast to the only mast left standing. With 
almost incredible speed the breeches buoy was rigged up. 

At first the men came from the wreck singly, but the | 
bark was fast breaking up and the margin of safety be- 
came shorter and shorter, so that finally two men at a 
time had to crowd into the buoy. The added weight 
made the line sag so that the men were dragged through 
the heavy combing almost from the moment they left 
the ship’s side, and were only partly conscious when they 
reached shore. 

The ‘‘Invincible” received the rescued sailors after j 
their first needs had been ministered to at the Life-Saving j 
Station. Neither Carter nor Sid ever forgot one inci- 
dent that occurred just after the rescue. The men were 
bruised and chilled from their terrible experience, but 
two of them resolutely refused the stimulant offered 
them by the life-savers. 

“It’s whiskey, my lads,” one of the rescuers urged. 

It ’ll warm you up.” 

One of the men simply waved it away, too weak to 
utter a sound. The other was able to speak audibly, 
however. 

“ Can’t ! Temperance man ! ” 

For an instant the life-savers, strong men as they 
were, inured to danger, stared at the two in astonishment. 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


269 


then they joined in a rousing cheer in honor of the courage 
the men displayed. 

As the ^Hnvincible’’ ploughed its way up the lower 
bay, and through the Narrows into the comparatively 
quiet waters of the upper harbor, the boys had little to 
say even to each other. The grim reality of the lives of 
the men 'Hhat go down to the sea in ships,’’ and of the 
Life-Saving Corps, was brought forcibly home to them. 
In the last few hours they had witnessed acts of heroism 
which in other callings would have brought forth un- 
stinted praise, yet in these strenuous followers of the 
sea were passed by unnoticed. 

Meanwhile there was keen anxiety at the Carrolls’. 
As the gale increased in violence Mrs. Carroll’s fears 
kept pace with it. After all, the weather bureau knew 
its business: she mentally begged pardon for her doubts 
on the subject. She blamed herself severely for allowing 
the boys to go at all when there was the least uncertainty. 
And she was responsible to Sid’s mother and father, too, 
for her care of their boy. If she had only been firm right 
at the start, and refused to consider the trip! 

By the time the five forty-five boat came in, bringing 
Mr. Carroll with it, she had worked herself into a fever 
of anxiety and remorse. 

‘^Why did n’t you wait for them?” she asked irritably. 

'^Wait for them?” he echoed. He had expected to 
find them at home, but he managed to conceal the fact 
and made light of her fears. He felt troubled, however, 
as he remembered how the ferry had tossed about, and 
recalled the words of one of the deck hands: Worst 


270 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 

blow for years! There '11 be plenty of wrecks piled up 
along the Jersey shore before it 's through with us. I 
don't envy the tugs that have to go out to-day! If the 
wind 's cuttin' loose in here, what 's it doin' outside, 
d'ye suppose!" But he kept his fears to himself. 

They've probably stopped at the Aquarium," he 
said, seizing the first pretext that offered. 

^^The Aquarium!" Mrs. Carroll's voice had a sharp 
ring that was new to it. The Aquarium closed two hours 
ago. They surely ought to be in by this time unless — " 
'11 go over again," Mr. Carroll interrupted hastily. 
^Ht 's really foolish though. Two great boys like Carter 
and Sid don't need an escort from the Battery; but as 
long as you feel anxious I 'm willing to go back." 

Indeed he was more than willing. He thought the 
ferry — one of Staten Island's handsome new fleet — 
would never reach its slip. Before the gates were pushed 
aside he had leaped over, much to the disgust of the deck- 
hand, and rushed into the Ship News Office next door. 

But there was no news and he spent almost an hour 
wandering about the Battery between the tug's landing 
and the wireless station as restlessly as Mrs. Carroll at 
home was hurrying from window to door, then back to 
the window again. He telephoned her twice, but neither 
message brought other comfort save the fact that ^^no 
news is good news." As the hours went by, the long 
strain told upon her. The evening paper which Mr. 
Carroll had tossed on the rack, gave an account of the 
havoc the storm had wrought along the coast. It was 
a dismal recital with the usual scare-heads." As she 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


271 


read it she sobbed heart brokenly, leaning against the 
telephone table, while Dixie Doodle pressed close to her 
side, looking up into her face as though he understood 
and sympathized with her. Minnie, in the kitchen 
beyond, polished away absent-mindedly at a huge potato 
she had started to peel, under the impression that it was 
a piece of the silver she was polishing in the afternoon 
when first her mistress began to be alarmed. 

^^They ’re drownded! They ’re drownded!” she mur- 
mured brokenly, burying her face in the roller towel to 
keep back her sobs. ^‘Oh! the poor missus! the poor 
missus!” 

But the next minute she heard Mrs. Carroll’s uncon- 
trollable grief, and forgetting self in her faithful ministry, 
flew to the door to offer comfort. 

Don’t cry, ma’am! Please don’t! Them tugs is 
awful strong! Jim says you never hear of ’em gettin’ 
hurt like other boats because they ain’t built that way. 
I’ll just bet that one’s found somethin’ that needs to 
be pulled up the bay an’ it’s havin’ extry hard work on 
’count of the wind. Just listen to that, will you!” as a 
blast rattled the windows on the side of the house nearest 
the water. ‘^You can’t expect it to make good time 
such a night as this. They ’re grand strong boats, though ! 
Jim knows!” 

And Mrs. Carroll felt comforted in spite of herself, 
by the girl’s assurance. Nevertheless she stayed right 
at the telephone table. Her husband had not called her 
up for almost an hour. Any minute now might bring 
her the welcome message; she wanted to be ready for it. 


272 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Meanwhile Mr. Carroll again sought the wireless 
station, and asked news of the tug. A new man had 
come on duty since his last visit. 

'^The ‘Invincible^?” the man repeated, shifting his 
eyes from Mr. CarrolPs anxious gaze. “Er — oh, yes — 
the ‘ Invincible M She’s a pretty good tug, sir! a pretty 
good tug! One of the best in the harbor, sir!” 

“What have you heard?” Mr. Carroll demanded 
fiercely. “Out with it, man.” 

“Well, the last message we received said that the 
‘Invincible’ and the life-boat were both — ” 

“Well?” 

“On the shoals!” the man answered, his face showing 
the pity he felt. “Who’s on board her that you know?” 

“My boy and my friend’s boy who is in our care!” 
Mr. Carroll replied, grasping the back of the chair 
before him to steady himself. 

The man reached out his hand, but said nothing 
because he felt that no words of his would bring comfort. 

“Wait a minute,” he exclaimed after an instant’s 
silence. “There may be later news! I’ll see what I can 
find out for you. You can’t trust every report you 
hear, sir. The operators lose their heads occasionally 
just like other folks.” 

To Mr. Carroll the few moments of his absence seemed 
months of terrible dread, but when the man came back 
one glance into his face was enough: he was fairly 
beaming. 

Both boats safe ! ” he shouted in his excitement. 
** The ^ Invincible ’ is all right, I tell you ! She had a 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


273 


close shave but she’s all right! Sit down, sir! You’re 
all done up!” 

Thank God!” Mr. Carroll exclaimed devoutly, as 
he accepted the offered chair. ‘^When do you think 
she’ll get in?” 

“Oh! not for some time yet,” was the cheerful reply. 
“But as long as she’s safe it doesn’t matter.” 

“No, it doesn’t matter! I must telephone my wife. 
You — you’re sure — ” 

“Sure!” the man replied heartily. “She’s bringing 
in the sailors rescued from a wreck. This is au-then-tic! ” 
he ended with a flourish. 

Mr. Carroll shook hands with him and hurried to 
telephone the joyful news to his wife. Not that he men- 
tioned a word of the previous message: he knew too 
well how hard it would be for her. It was bad enough 
for him. Even though the wireless message seemed 
positive, an occasional doubt crept into his mind as he 
tramped along the sea-wall of the Battery straining his 
eyes through the darkness for the first sight of the tug. 
When she finally puffed up, he was fairly weak from the 
anxiety of his long vigil. He had had nothing to eat 
since his light lunch at twelve o’clock, and his unwonted 
fast was making itself felt. 

“Thank heaven!” he cried earnestly, rushing up to 
the boys before they reached the dock. “I’ve paced 
the Battery steadily for the last four hours except when 
I’ve been in to get your mother on the ’phone. We’ll 
have a bloated bill for city calls this month, all right,” 
he ended with a weak attempt at his customary light- 


274 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


ness; but the hug with which he greeted each of the 
boys belied his words. It seemed as though he could 
not bear to let them out of reach of his hand. 

^^Come again, boys!^^ the captain urged them heartily 
as they left the tug twelve hours after boarding it. 

Guess you had nT much idea what you were in for 
to-day, had you? But they^re grit clear through, both 
of them,” he commended heartily, speaking to Mr. 
Carroll. “Never turned an eyelash when we expected to 
go down any minute. Why, IVe seen grown men lose 
their heads and shriek like crazy loons in a squeeze like 
that; but these fellows — well, theyVe all right!” And 
he returned Mr. CarrolFs hand clasp with one which 
almost brought the tears to his eyes. 

“Hurry, boys!” Mr. Carroll started off on a run. 
“We can make the eleven-thirty if we rush. Your poor 
mother ^s a wreck if the Hnvincible' isnT. She^s con- 
signed you both to watery graves a dozen times to-day. 
Go on and get the tickets. Car! 1^11 just have time to 
call her up again. She^s waited long enough, poor little 
woman!” He had begun speaking lightly to disguise 
his own genuine relief and thankfulness, but he ended 
soberly enough. 

For the next few days the story of the wreck and the 
rescue was repeated again and again, until the rest of 
the “S. I. G.^s” could give almost as accurate a descrip- 
tion as the eyewitnesses themselves. Every detail had 
to be told and retold, and Carter and Sid answered 
questions, both pertinent and otherwise, until they felt 
exhausted. The newspapers for the next day were 


OUTSIDE THE HOOK 


275 


eagerly seized and the accounts of the storm and the 
wreck — ^'our wreck as they called it — were read, 
and commented upon. 

^^She didn’t back away after she grounded,” Johnny 
Porter asserted confidently, in reference to one of the 
printed statements. '^She was being driven along by 
the wind too fast to back away. Say, Car, did n’t her 
forward masts go over right away?” 

^^Yep!” was the laconic reply. 

‘^And this says: ‘She quivered from stem to stern 
as though indignantly demanding the right of the shoal 
to intercept her in her mad rush for safety. Then the 
gale lifted her almost bodily from her resting place only 
to send her crashing back with cruel force. This time 
she seemed to bow to the inevitable!’ Humph! guess 
this fellow thinks he’s writing a book!” 

“Or else he’s got to fill up space,” Arthur interpolated. 
“You know those reporters in papers like that old yellow 
have to use all thewbig words they can. That ’s the way 
they impress people. My uncle’s a reporter. He says 
that class of readers wants to have their feelings har- 
rowed, so they harrow them, but if they use words that 
they can understand, the people don’t think they are 
getting their money’s worth. Funny, isn’t it? This 
fellow talks as though the ship was alive!” 

“But you don’t understand,” Carter explained quietly. 
“You can’t possibly understand a thing like that unless 
you see it. Honestly, Art, the boat seemed like a live 
creature, didn’t she, Sid? She acted like an animal 
that was caught and was struggling to escape, and when 


276 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


it found it could n’t, it tried to fight it out. I ’ll never 
forget it! But it would have been ten times more awful 
if the life savers hadn’t managed to get the rope for 
the breeches buoy over! The captain of the bark 
would n’t leave until the very last. They were just 
lifting him out of the buoy when the bark crashed over 
and most of it disappeared.” 

Mrs. Carroll sent an urgent invitation to the captain 
of the tug, and on one of his off-days the blond giant 
came over for dinner. Minnie had ^‘put in her best 
licks,” as Carter expressed it; the dinner she served 
was a ‘‘gastronomic triumph,” in the words of Mr. 
Carroll. Whether it was or not the captain evidently 
enjoyed it, but the poor man was scarcely allowed to 
finish it before he was surrounded by boys; boys who 
were, in reality, animated question marks. But he 
seemed to enjoy this part of the evening as much as he 
did the dinner. 

“Hadn’t you better signal for^ a wrecking-tug, 
ma’am?” he asked Mrs. Carroll, quizzically, when the i 
time came for him to go back to New York. “Just hang 
a flag upside down, will you? I hate to fly the distress 
signal, but I guess I’ll have to be rescued an’ towed to 
port!” 

Before he made his escape he had accepted, provision- 
ally, seven pressing invitations for dinner. It was 
weeks before the nautical flavor entirely disappeared 
from the club’s conversation, and the events of the 
day were never forgotten by two witnesses. 


CHAPTER XIX 


The Prize Story 

GREAT PRIZE STORY CONTEST 

Try it, boys! Try it, girls! 

Twenty fine prizes for the winners! The fifty 
best stories to be published in the Story Page of 
our Saturday papers! Stories must be written 
by boys and girls not over sixteen years of age, 
without help from any one. Write only on one 
side of the paper. Put your name and address 
in a sealed envelope and send it with the manu- 
script. Stories must be in before November 
15th. Prizes will be awarded according to 
merit. No pull ! No favoritism! Go in and win! 
First Prize $25 Fourth Prize $10 

Second Prize $20 Fifth Prize $5 

Third Prize $15 Next Fifteen Prizes $2 Each 

About the middle of October one of the largest of the 
New York papers started this prize story contest. The 
judges were chosen from the five boroughs of Greater 
New York, and Staten Island boys and girls were espe- 
cially interested because a favorite High School teacher 


278 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 

was selected to represent Richmond, their own borough. 
Each story had to be accompanied by a coupon cut 
from the paper, but the contest was absolutely fair; 
merit, not votes, would win the prizes. Many of the 
boys were obliged to purchase an extra coupon: the 
original one became too thin and worn from constant 
handling. 

Carter was not fond of writing. Even his letters were 
neglected, and Mrs. Carroll worried over his indifference 
as she wanted him to be careful about such matters. 
When she learned, by accident, that he had not yet 
acknowledged the cheque for five dollars that his Aunt 
Alice had sent him soon after he reached home in Sep- 
tember, she was genuinely angry. 

^^A gentleman always aclmowledges a gift,'^ she 
informed him gravely, '^and acknowledges it promptly, 
too. He would as soon think of neglecting his finger- 
nails as of neglecting such a common courtesy.” 

This was a double-barbed shaft, and she knew it; for 
Carter had not yet reached the age when a boy spends 
lengthy periods in manicuring and neck-tie arranging. 
In fact she wished he would devote more of his time to 
these very things. 

Aunt Alice was Mrs. Carrolbs only sister, a “rising 
young author” as one newspaper expressed it. She had 
won some fame as a writer of short stories and had a 
successful novel to her credit. She was full of fun, and 
although very fond of her only nephew, she could not 
resist teasing him occasionally. 

“Car^s so peppery,” she used to say, “you get your 


THE PRIZE STORY 


279 


money’s worth every time! If he’d only learn to take 
a joke he would n’t be teased so much.” 

Aunt Alice had been abroad for several months but 
was expected home before Thanksgiving. Mrs. Carroll 
had written her about the latchstring joke and how 
Carter had taken it. She answered that if he kept on 
in that way he would n’t be any fun at all ; one of the 
reasons why she was anxious to reach home was to get 
a ^^rise” out of her spunky nephew! But in spite of 
her teasing, she loved him dearly, and was constantly 
sending him gifts and remembrances, books, games, or 
things to wear, so Mrs. Carroll had good reason to feel 
provoked when she found that the five-dollar cheque 
had not even been acknowledged. 

“You may spend your afternoons in the house until 
that letter is written,” she commanded sternly. 

“At homes” did not appeal to Carter, so he set to 
work at once and posted the letter that very day for 
fear his mother would ask to see it. It was very much 
to the point, and if brevity is the soul of wit, it was 
witty indeed. Certainly it was business-like. 

“Dear Aunt Alice — 

“Thanks for the cheque. I spent it. 

“Carter.” 

Mr. and Mrs. Carroll were both interested in the story 
contest and urged the boys to enter it. They consented 
willingly, but the prizes appealed to them more than the 
means by which they were to be won. Sid wisely decided 
to get the agony over as soon as possible. He set to work 


280 THE CAPTAIN OF THE ‘^S. I. 


in earnest and stayed indoors for several afternoons in 
succession, while Carter was out enjoying himself. By 
the end of the week he had his story finished, copied, 
and posted to the Prize Story Editor. All he would say 
in answer to Carter ^s questions was that it was a “winner, 
sure!^^ 

Carter also intended to “buckle down” — to-morrow! 

His father often declared that he must have Spanish j 
blood in his veins, because he was devoted to the “ma- ! 
nana” which the Spaniards quote so constantly. He 
found, however, that the “S. I. G.’s” were all following 
Sid^s example and working away over their contribu- 
tions, each hoping that even if he failed to win a prize, 
his story might be one of the fifty chosen for publication. 

By the end of the week he, too, caught the contagion, 
or else he found the afternoons lonely: at any rate he 
decided to follow their example and set to work on his 
first literary effort. 

Aunt Alice reached home earlier than they thought 
she would, and the very day that he chose to begin his 
first flight in authorship she came in for dinner. She and 
Carter’s grandfather lived near the fort in a charming 
old mansion with large grounds, overlooking the Narrows. 

It was some distance from the Carrolls’, but their great 
red motor covered the intervening space in an incredibly 
short time. 

“I always tell Matthews to go as fast as he can with- 
out being arrested,” she explained laughingly, when i 
Mrs. Carroll displayed anxiety over the speed with 
which the chauffeur had swept up the block. “Of ,i 


THE PRIZE STORY 


281 


course I don^t care to decorate my car with one of the 
mounted police even though they do look stunning in 
their new uniforms/^ 

‘^You know, Aunt Allie,’^ Carter began the instant he 
had asked the blessing, really need a prize/' 

^^Why, I thought that was something new you had 
added to the blessing," Aunt Alice said with a teasing 
laugh. ^Ht was certainly all in the same breath." 

haven't a cent saved up for Christmas," the boy 
went on, for once ignoring her teasing. Besides, I 
want a phonograph. Johnny Porter's father has one 
that's a dandy, is n't it, Sid? It's as good as the opera. 
You can hear Caruso, and cats howling on the back 
fence, and — " 

^^Dear! dear! dear!" Aunt Alice interrupted, appar- 
ently much impressed. '^Cats and Caruso! How 
interesting!" 

^^Oh, I don't mean in one record. Aunt Allie," Carter 
flashed forth impatiently. They have a whistling record 
too, that's a perfect beauty, and one with roosters 
crowing, and dogs barking, and an Irishman talking at a 
political meeting. They have dance music, too. We 
could have a party every week if we had a phonograph." 

‘‘My son," Mrs. Carroll began gravely, “I asked you 
to try for one of the prizes, but if it means ‘cats on the 
back fence' and ‘a party every week,' I think I'll with- 
draw my request." 

“Please stop joking!" Carter snapped impatiently. 
It provoked him because even Sid was laughing. I don't 
want Aunt Allie to help me, but just to tell me how she 


282 THE CAPTAIN OF THE “S. I. 


starts to write her stories, because I^m going to begin 
mine to-night/^ 

^^Why, honey-boy, Aunt Allie began, knowing well 
that he particularly hated to be called by this relic of 
his baby-days, ^4t’s as easy as falling off a log. You 
just catch your idea — a nice plump one, you know, 
because the editors donT care for thin plots — and there 
you are!^^ 

Carter had a queer expression on his boyish face as 
he listened. He did not understand in the least, but 
he hated to confess it. Aunt Alice realized his state of 
mind perfectly and kept on out of pure mischief. 

^'Do you remember how to make rabbit-pie. Car? 
No? Your memory needs attention, honey! Well, 
first catch your rabbit! Same with a story — first catch 
your idea, then dress it up in good clothes, and send it 
visiting. But donT spend the prize money imtil it 
comes, remember. Even a good fat idea dressed in the 
finest of garments, sometimes goes to waste — I mean 
the waste-basket!^^ 

Carter saw that help from this quarter was hopeless 
so he decided to go ahead by himself. Just as they 
rose from the dinner table, the telephone bell rang and 
he hurried to answer it. It was the asking the 

boys over for some games and a chafing-dish spread 
later. Sid, standing close to the ^phone, heard the mes- 
sage distinctly. 

‘^We have some oysters to cream, and we ^re going 
to have hot chocolate and cake, too,^’ Ida explained 
alluringly. You and Sid come over early, won’t you?” 


THE PRIZE STORY 


283 


^^All ri — ’’ Carter stopped suddenly, hesitated, then 
regretfully changed his answer. 

awfully sorry, but I Ve got to set to work 
on that story to-night. All the rest of the boys have 
sent theirs in. We ’ll come some other time. Good — ” 

“^Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?’” Sid 
interrupted promptly; and pushing Carter aside he 
said: Thank you, ^I.’ — I ’ll come! Ask Johnny, why 
don’t you? Good-bye ! See you later ! ” 

like your decision of character, Mr. Carroll,” Sid 
informed him angrily as he hung up the receiver. ^ Per- 
haps hereafter you ’ll allow me to decide about my own 
invitations, however. You forget that I missed that 
motor ride with your aunt the day I was finishing my 
story, but I don’t seem to remember that you stayed 
home to keep me company.” 

This was such an unusual outburst from quiet, self- 
controlled Sid that Carter stared at him speechless, 
while Mr. Carroll in the library beyond, remarked in a 
low tone: Sid’s exactly right! Carter acts as though 
he owns him, body and soul. I ’m glad the boy asserts 
himself occasionally. Carter thinks the world and all 
of him, but he ’s too dictatorial.” 

“Does he take after his mother or his father?” Aunt 
Alice asked mischievously; but Mr. Carroll declined 
to answer. 

After Sid left for the “I.’s” Carter got out a large 
yellow pad and sharpened half a dozen pencils ready 
for his evening’s task, then opened a box of peanut brittle 
and laid it on the desk beside him. He forgot that he 


284 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


had had a long bicycle ride after school, and had spent 
over an hour, afterwards, on his lessons, so was in no 
condition for mental work. He ate a piece of the candy, 
and thought hard. Then he ate another piece minus the 
thinking process. Like the hermit, sometimes he set 
an’ thought, an’ sometimes he jest set!” During the 
third piece of candy he decided upon his title, — 
^^A Brave Boy.” 

But it did not suit him after he had written it down, 
so glancing through several of the current magazines 
he found that the titles seemed to be longer, and more 
imposing, and changed his to ^‘The Boy Who was Coura- 
geous.” 

After several more pieces of candy munched slowly 
as an aid to thought, he began to write without even 
the ghost of an idea as to his plot. 

It was snowing hard. The month was December when 
snow is expected. The air was so filled with the fine, feathery 
flakes that the traveler could with difiiculty discern the 
road.” 

He stopped at this point, lost in admiration of his last 
sentence: it had the true story ring about it, he felt. 
Much encouraged he went on. 

The weather had been promising snow for some time and 
now it was keeping its word with a vengeance, for the snow 
fell steadily, covering the streets and the pavements and the 
bushes and even the fences themselves with its fine powdery 
blanket. The boys made a great snow fort because they had 
plenty of material at hand. It was a very cold snow, too, 
just the kind of snow that piles up into huge drifts that are 
absolutely impassable — ” 


THE PRIZE STORY 


285 


He stopped at this point to rest his hand and read over 
what he had written, then just to relieve his eyes he 
shut them for an instant, and before he knew it he was 
sound asleep. 

Dixie Doodle jumped up on the desk and finished the 
bits of peanut brittle left in the box with the greatest 
enjoyment; he, as well as his master, liked candy. 

Mrs. Carroll and Aunt Alice came in not long after- 
wards. The latter bent over Carter^s shoulder and 
examined his work. 

^^Poor young author!^’ she said softly. ^^He ’s stuck 
fast in that impassable drift of his!” 

When Carter tried to go on with the story the next 
day he found that Aunt Aliceas words were indeed true: 
having nothing to tell he could n^t very well tell it! 

^^Whd,t on earth can I write about?” he asked his 
mother anxiously. 

can’t suggest a plot to you,” she replied. 'Ht 
would n’t be fair if I did. If you enter the contest you 
must abide by its rules, and receive no help from any- 
one. You want to try for the prize honestly or not 
at all.” 

Just then Dixie came prancing into the room and 
capered about, tossing up a bit of paper he held in his 
mouth and deftly catching it again as it floated down. It 
was one of his “puppy-days” when he seemed possessed 
with mischievousness. 

“You rascal!” Carter scolded. “That’s something 
from my book-shelf, I ’ll warrant. Give it to me!” 

But Dixie eluded his outstretched hand, and started 


286 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


on a wild chase about the room. When he was finally 
captured only fragments remained of the paper. Carter 
looked at them angrily. 

• ^^That was my picture of the Hnvincible/ Mr. Dix! 
You ought to be punished! I drew that picture myself, 
just after the wreck, you — He stopped abruptly, then 
went on in great excitement. ^^Gee whiz! that ^s it! 
Why did n^t I think of that before? It a true story 
and it ’s exciting too. The boys certainly seemed to 
like it. Thank you, old boy: if I win a prize I ’ll give 
you a share of it.” 

The next afternoon the I. G.’s” whistled enticingly 
outside the house, but only Sid appeared in answer. 
Carter shouted down to him just as he was leaving: 
''Hey, Sid! Tell them I ’m engaged.” 

But before he set to work in earnest he called up his 
aunt. 

"That you, Aunt Allie? This is Carter. Say, I Ve 
caught an awfully nice plump idea, and I ’m going to 
dress it up in fine style. Me for a prize, Aunt Al! You 
wait and see! Whoop-la!” Then he rang off promptly 
before she had time to answer. He liked to tease 
occasionally himself. 

The story was written and re-written several times 
until it suited him, then it was copied carefully and 
posted. After that he and Sid talked "story” morning, 
noon, and night, until Mr. Carroll rebelled. 

"It’s worse than base-ball,” he declared irritably. 
"I ’ll turn into a prize-story myself, soon. Please don’t 
mention that confounded contest again imtil the prizes 


THE PRIZE STORY 


287 


are awarded, do you understand? A few more meals 
with ^prize-story^ sauce will drive me crazy!” 

'‘Yes, sir,” both boys replied meekly. 

But the letter man on the block really bore the brunt 
of the affair. His route was packed with boys and girls 
who had entered the contest. Long before the awards 
could possibly be decided he was besieged with eager 
questions: "Any letter for me?” "Got something for 
me, to-day?” until the poor man felt as Mr. Carroll did, 
only more so. Many of the contestants even refused to 
start to school until after he had been aroimd, and a 
number of tardy marks were directly traceable to the 
contest. 

The excitement died down after a time, however, and 
the customary games and sports were resumed; but 
when Mrs. Carroll returned from her first club meeting 
after the stories were sent in, she was highly amused 
! over something she had heard there. She went to the 
j kitchen, and told the joke to Minnie who giggled over 
it heartily. 

"Sure an^ that ^s just the boys all over, now ain^t it?” 
she remarked admiringly. "They’re a great lot, them 
'S. I. G.’s!’” 

Then Mrs. Carroll called up Aunt Alice, and confided 
the story to her. 

"Great minds run in the same channel!” was Aunt 
Allie’s laughing comment. 

That night while the boys were in their room getting 
ready for dinner, Mrs. Carroll repeated the joke for Mr. 
Carroll’s benefit, first making him promise to keep it 
’ a secret. 


288 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. 


^^You remember those stories the boys sent in for the 
contest?’^ she asked, after he had assured her solemnly 
that wild horses should not drag it from him. 

Heavens!” he exclaimed, “I should say I do! We ^re 
not in for another round of that, I hope!” 

^‘Oh, no!” she hastened to relieve his fears; ''you ’re 
safe. But you know they agreed not to tell each other 
what they had written. They confided in their mothers, 
though, and to-day at the club, we ladies learned that 
every boy in the 'S. I. G.’ told the same story!” 

"No!” Mr. Carroll exclaimed in surprise, not in the 
least intending to be rude. 

"But they did,” she persisted. 

"What story was it?” He was genuinely interested 
now. "It must have been a tremendously popular one.” 

"It was. I only hope those editors won’t think they 
wrote the stories together.” 

"No danger of that, dear, because the very fact that 
they are about the same thing weakens their chances 
for a prize, don’t you see?” 

"That’s so! I’m really glad of it, under the cir- 
cumstances.” 

"But what was the great and only piece of fiction?” 
he demanded eagerly. 

"It wasn’t fiction — it was fact!” she replied. "It 
was the story of 'Our Wreck’! ” 


CHAPTER XX 


Troubles 

They say that troubles never come singly, and in the 
case of the Carrolls it certainly proved true. Business 
conditions became worse, prices for living soared higher 
and higher, and Mr. Carroll grew more quiet, more un- 
like his usual jolly self each week. He seldom chatted 
with his wife or the boys as he used to do, and never 
joked. When he spoke at all it was in a tired, cross 
way, most unusual to him. 

Father is worried. Car,’' Mrs. Carroll explained. 

Business is dull, and the money for several big con- 
tracts can’t be collected yet because the strikes are 
delaying the work. Several people owe him money, too. 
Mr. Walton owes him several thousand, but his note is 
due this week, I believe, so that will tide things over at 
the office until the contracts can be finished. If it were 
not for the rent from the house I don’t know what we 
would do just now. I ’m glad the new people are to 
come in so promptly. It will only be empty a week.” 

Mrs. Carroll referred to the house they owned. It 
was a handsome piece of property at the corner of the 
block, — a much larger house than the one they were 
renting — with wide piazzas, a conservatory, and beauti- 
ful grounds about it. A garage at the rear, and a tower 
at one corner of the house itself, appealed mightily to 


290 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Carter. Mrs. Carroll hoped that they could afford to 
occupy the house themselves in a year or two, because 
it would be such a good place for the boy. It had a 
tennis court of its own, at the back, and a smooth, well 
laid out croquet lawn at the side. But all these advan- 
tages, charming as they were, added to the cost of keeping 
the place in order, so for the present it was simply one 
of her cherished dreams. 

The night after this conversation with Carter, Mr. 
Carroll, in house-coat and slippers was stretched out 
in the Morris chair before the library hearth. His paper 
lay unopened on his lap, and he was staring moodily into 
the glowing heart of the fire, his mind still filled with 
business worries. The noise of an engine rushing by 
roused him from his gloomy revery. A hook and ladder 
wagon followed, then a second engine. 

‘‘Better tell Minnie to draw some water,’^ he advised, 
without looking up. “If it ^s the cotton docks, or any 
big fire, we ^11 be sure to need it. There ^s not enough 
pressure to stand the increased demand. Carter!^’ 

But Carter and Sid had both disappeared. Like most 
boys they could not resist a fire. They were off in search 
of it before there was any possibility of restraining 
commands. A moment later Carter came rushing in 
shouting at the top of his voice. 

“It ’s burning! It ^s burning! I tell you it ’s burning!^^ 
“Stop that racket. Carter !^^ Mr. Carroll spoke 

sharply. The boy^s excited entrance was far from 
soothing to his aching head.. 

“But I tell you it^s— 


TROUBLES 


291 


'^Car! Did you hear me, sir?’^ This time he was 
genuinely angry, not only because he was disturbed, 
but because both he and Mrs. Carroll were trying to 
break the boy of his habit of arguing and talking after 
he had been told to be quiet. 

^‘But it ^s OUR house!” Carter persisted, his voice 
shrill with excitement. 

Mr. Carroll jumped up in such a hurry that his paper 
flew off his knee and landed in the grate where fortunately 
it was consumed without setting fire to the chimney. 
Not waiting to change either slippers or coat, he snatched 
a cap from the rack as he rushed through the hall and 
dashed off, slamming the door after him. Carter had 
pushed on ahead, with Dixie at his heels, and Mrs. 
Carroll and Minnie brought up the rear, the former 
crying miserably. How she loved that house! What 
good times she had planned in connection with it, in 
that indefinite ^‘sometime!” She thought of the round 
tower room that was to be Carter’s den, and the garage 
which would make a gymnasium, billiard-room, and 
workshop. It was almost too hard to bear. 

The neighbors all seemed bound for the fire, too, but 
Mr. Carroll passed them. When he reached the corner 
where the firemen were busily stretching hose from the 
engines, he was roughly seized by the shoulder and 
thrust aside. 

‘^Here, you! Keep back there! Can’t go beyond 
the lines!” 

‘‘It’s my house,” Mr. Carroll answered quietly, but 
the words made the fireman change his tone. 


292 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^^All right, sir! Go ahead; only be careful. Fire got 
a big start before it was discovered. The care-taker 
just got out in time. Can’t save the place I ’m afraid, 
sir. I ’m sorry.” 

Mr. Carroll thanked him briefly and went on. One 
glance was enough to show him that the man was right; 
the house could not possibly be saved. He began to 
help in the work of protecting the nearest roof. It was 
some distance away but the sparks were falling thick 
and fast. The flames lighted up the whole street. 

It seemed as though there was a whole regiment of 
boys on hand. They kept dodging under the lines, get- 
ting in the way of the firemen, and crowding so close 
about the engines that the men could scarcely work. 
Finally one of the hose pipes sprung a leak, and ten or 
twelve of them were soaked to the skin before they 
could get out of the way. The water served to dampen 
their ardor, much to the relief of the fire-fighters. 

When it was all over, Mr. and Mrs. Carroll walked 
home together. He never spoke a word on the way 
back, but when he reached the house he threw himself 
into his chair, and covering his face with his hands, 
groaned aloud. Mrs. Carroll had all she could do to 
restrain her own sobs, but she went up to him and put 
her arms about his shoulder, patting his head soothingly. 
He looked so white and ill that she was frightened. 

We ought to be thankful the house was empty, dear,” 
she said gently. “The firemen think the care-taker 
must have stuffed a lot of trash into the grates after 
the family left, this afternoon, but he denies it, of 


TROUBLES 


293 


course. It would have been terrible if anyone had 
been hurt.’’ 

‘^Yes, I am thankful/’ he muttered brokenly. ^^You 
don’t understand, dear. I deserve it, I know, but it ’s 
hard for my family to have to suffer with me. I ’m 
afraid you ’ll never forgive my carelessness. Eve. The 
fire insurance on the house was due last month, and I — 
never — paid — it ! ” 

'^Is that all?” she questioned cheerfully. 

^^All!” He looked at her as though he had not heard 
aright. Yes, that ’s all!” he added grimly. ^‘It simply 
means that we lose every dollar that the house was 
worth, because we won’t get one cent of insurance on it!” 

‘^Oh no, it doesn’t!” she contradicted flatly, with a 
gay little laugh. “We ’ll lose the rent from the house 
until we can build again, that ’s all! I paid that insur- 
ance myself. The agent spoke to me about it one day 
last week. He said you had probably overlooked it, 
and he did n’t like to bother you again.” 

“But how—” 

“I had my birthday money that father and Alice sent 
me, and I was glad to use it in that way. Now will you 
cheer up?” 

For answer he drew her down on his lap and kissed 
her. 

“We ’ll pull through all right after all,” he said a 
moment later. “Walton’s money is due to-morrow. 
It comes just in the nick of time, too. I must take his 
note over to the office with me. He ’s not very hon — 
strict in business matters, I hear, but I did n’t know it 


294 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S 


when he asked me for the loan. He was having a hard j 
time of it just then. I happened to have it to spare, and 
hated to refuse him. Since I Ve learned more about 
him I ^m glad I insisted on his giving me a note. He 
tried hard at the time to make it a friendly loan. There 
were no witnesses, so it is fortunate I have his written 
promise.’^ 

^^But he surely could n’t refuse to pay a debt of that j 
sort!” she exclaimed incredulously. ! 

^‘He has evaded his debts before now, I am told, but ! 
he can’t get out of this one. By the way. I’ll take the j 
note before I forget it. I left it in the small desk.” j 

‘^The small desk!” she repeated, staring at him with | 
frightened eyes. ‘^Are you sure it was the small desk? 
Why, Winthrop, I cleared that desk out last month to 
make room for the boys’ games. It was full of old 
receipts and cheques and things. I didn’t know you . 
kept any important papers in it.” 

Without a word Mr. Carroll hurried to the desk in 
question and began an anxious examination of its con- 
tents. Mrs. Carroll joined him, but her hands trembled 
so that she could hardly hold a paper. They searched 
the top and the drawers, not once, but many times. 
Then they moved out the desk and searched beneath it, 
but all to no purpose. No note of any kind was to be 
found. 

‘‘We must find it, I tell you,” Mr. Carroll muttered 
harshly. “We’ve got to find it. That rascal may refuse 
to pay at all if I can’t produce the evidence. We must 
find it!” 


TROUBLES 


295 


But they did not find it. They hunted through 
bureaus and book-cases, through the large desk in the 
library, and Carter^s combination bookcase and desk in 
his own room. Late as it was Mr. Carroll went over 
to his office and searched there, although he knew, even 
as he did it, that he had left the note in the small desk 
at home. 

After this, things were gloomier than ever. Mr. 
Carroll learned that his neighbor's reputation was even 
blacker than it had been painted. Mr. Walton jumped 
at the chance to evade payment. 

“You know I lent you the money, Walton,^^ Mr. 
Carroll said sternly. “It pulled you through a pretty 
tight place, too. Well, I^m in need of it now — badly 
in need. These two big contracts of mine have been 
delayed by the strikes and I must have money to tide 
me over until I can collect on them, or it means failure 
for me. You owe the money! 

Mr. Walton shrugged his shoulders indifferently. 
“Perhaps I do and perhaps I don^t,’' he sneered. “Any- 
how youVe got to prove it before I hand over a cent. 
Go to law, if you choose! You ^11 find it slow and expen- 
sive, and you can’t produce a single witness. I took 
good care of that!” And snapping his fingers almost 
in Mr. Carroll’s face, he marched out humming a tune. 

That night, as ill-luck would have it. Carter brought 
home a polite but positive note from his principal say- 
ing that unless he brought up his school work he could 
not hope to keep on in his present class. He hated to 
show it to his father but he had to have the signature 


296 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


of both parents before he could return it. He waited 
until he found him alone in the library, then handed it 
to him without a word, standing by with downcast eyes 
while he read it. 

‘‘This is a fine report, is n^t it?^^ his father said angrily. 
Poor man, it seemed very much like the last straw on 
an already over-burdened camel. Carter was his only 
child and he was anxious for him to make the most of 
his schooldays. He realized that the boy was taking 
his work far too lightly. 

“What excuse have you to offer for such disgraceful 
marks as these? he demanded, striking the paper 
sharply with his hand as he spoke. 

“I have n’t any excuse, sir,” was the truthful answer. 

“Too much play, my boy!” his father said sternly. 
“Too much sport and bicycle and brigade, and too little 
study! I’ll give you one more month to bring your 
standing up to the requirements. If the next report is 
not far better than this one. I’ll take away your wheel 
and your tent, and your camera, and your uniform. 
Yes, sir! I’ll take away your dog, too, until you can 
do fair work. Your Aunt Alice will be glad to have 
Dixie.” 

This was too much for Carter. 

“But I can’t give up old Doodles,” he declared ear- 
nestly. “I can’t! You know I can’t! You know how 
much I think of him! Why he’s almost like a — a 
brother, he’s so fond of me!” 

“Then do your school work as you should, and earn 
the right to keep him,” was the decisive answer: but as 


TROUBLES 


297 


he spoke Mr. Carroll laid a loving hand on his boy^s 
head, and patted the small dog with the other. ^^We 
should all miss this little fellow, Car. Don't make me 
send him away. You ought to learn a motto that helped 
me when I was your age, my boy. ^Keeping everlast- 
ingly at it brings success!' And it's the only thing that 
does," he added earnestly. 

Carter promised to work harder. Then he petted 
Dixie for a few moments feeling as though the small 
dog had almost been snatched from his arms. 

Master couldn't spare this old fellow, could he, 
Doodles? No, sir! couldn't possibly spare him! You 
don't want to go to Aunt Allie." 

Dixie wagged his tail in energetic denial of any such 
longings: Aunt Allie might live in a beautiful house 
with fine grounds, but it wouldn't be home for him, 
no, sir! 

guess I'd better set to work and not talk so much," 
the boy declared suddenly, putting the small dog down. 
^^I'm going to pitch in hard and keep everlastingly at 
it, too!" 

A few weeks later another note came from the prin- 
cipal, but this time Carter was eager to take it to his 
father. Mr. Carroll read it through, a pleased light in 
his eyes. 

‘^This shows what you can do if you try," he said 
approvingly. ^^You are invited to stay, Dickums," he 
added to the small dog. ^^This is not a gilt-edged invi- 
tation exactly," holding up the note, ^^but it is just as 
good, is n't it. Car?" 


298 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


The I. G,^s” had a paper chase early on Thanks- 
giving morning and afterwards went to the football 
game on the school field. Carter and Sid returned in 
time for dinner with cheeks red from the cold wind, 
and appetites sharpened by exercise. Mrs. Carroll met 
them at the door. 

^^Go right upstairs and get ready for dinner, boys,^' 
she ordered. Minnie says it’s almost ready. I’ll give 
you fifteen minutes to dress.” 

‘^Um-m-m! doesn’t it smell good?” Carter asked, 
sniffing the air hungrily. 

‘^Has the mail come in yet, Mrs. Carroll?” Sid hung 
behind to inquire. ^^It seems an age since I heard from 
mother.” 

''No — it isn’t in — that is, the English mail,” she 
answered. "But there’s a letter for you from New 
York. Wait!” she commanded, as he started back 
after it. "Here it is. Now hurry!” 

The boys needed no urging. The odor of roasting 
turkey was very apparent, an appetizing odor at any 
time, but doubly so to boys who have covered miles of 
country on a sharp trot, after a very early, very hurried 
breakfast. The allotted fifteen minutes had not passed 
when they rushed downstairs again and made straight 
for the dining-room. Mrs. Carroll sprang to intercept 
them but only caught Sid, as Carter had already dashed 
into the room. 

"Why, what — ” he was beginning when he looked 
up and caught his mother’s eyes fixed upon him. She 
placed a warning finger on her lips, and he very cleverly 


TROUBLES 


299 


finished his sentence, ^'What’s the matter with Dixie? 
He’s all right!” 

Dinner seemed destined to be a very formal affair 
judging from the length of time it took for Minnie to 
put it on the table, but after what seemed like an inter- 
minable wait the chimes sounded. Mr. Carroll gal- 
lantly offered his arm to his wife, and the boys, carrying 
Dixie between them on crossed arms, fell in behind. 
The small dog also liked turkey, and was as hungrily 
eager as the rest of the family. The procession marched 
clear into the room before Sid looked up. When he did 
he gave an inarticulate exclamation, and dropping his 
arms so suddenly that Dixie landed on the floor with a 
thud, he flew over to the smiling lady who stood beside 
the table, and fairly hurled himself into her arms. She 
pressed him close without a word although her face 
spoke whole volumes of mother love and mother long- 
ing. Then the man beside her put his arm around Sid’s 
shoulder. 

‘‘I must have my share, too, my boy,” he said 
earnestly. 

Later they both tried to thank the Carrolls for the 
loving care they had bestowed on their boy, but found 
that words failed them utterly. The Carrolls seemed 
to understand, however. 

“I love Sid dearly,” Mrs. Carroll told Sid’s mother 
when they were alone. ^^It has been a pleasure to have 
him with us. He seems to have the best sort of influ- 
ence over Carter. I’m thankful he will still be right 
here on the block.” 


1 


300 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. G/S” 


‘‘So am 1 ” Mrs. Armstrong echoed fervently. '^This 
has been a genuine Thanksgiving! Things are going so 
well with us!’^ 

But Mrs. Carroll sighed involuntarily: things were 
not going well with them. 


CHAPTER XXI 


Christmas 

Dixie had slept on a box of straw in the laundry ever 
since he had lived with the Carrolls. Once or twice, 
as cold weather approached, he seemed reluctant to go 
to his box when ordered by Carter at bedtime. One 
Friday night, two weeks before Christmas, he hung back, 
looking longingly at the cosy fire, his brown eyes speak- 
ing as plainly as words could have done: “I don^t want 
to go to my box! I want to stay right here!” 

The wind from the bay was howling around the house, 
its weird ^‘woo-o-o-o! woo-o-o-o!” sending creepy shivers 
up and down sensitive spines. All the storm windows 
were closed and the heavy portieres drawn over the 
long glass doors that opened on the piazza. Carter had 
telephoned to Sid and the “I.^s”, and the four had spent 
a jolly evening roasting apples and toasting marsh- 
mallows before the library fire while Ida told them the 
plot of a story she was reading. She was a good story- 
teller, and knew how to hold the interest of her listeners. 
Then they cleared the dining-table and had a lively 
game of ping-pong before separating for the night. 

When Carter returned after taking the girls home, 
Dixie still lay on the rug before the fire, looking both 
comfortable and contented. 


302 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^‘Thought I told you to go to bed, sir,’^ he said, 
stooping to roll the small dog over and tickle him. 
“What? You donT want to? Mother, Dixie says he 
does nT want to sleep in the laundry any more, it’s too 
cold!” 

The Carrolls often put speeches into the small dog’s 
mouth. Sometimes they found it a convenient way of 
expressing their own wants or opinions. 

“He may sleep in the kitchen to-night, if he wants 
to,” Mrs. Carroll offered kindly. “Perhaps it is cold 
in the laundry on a night like this.” 

“Anything the matter with the little fat rascal?” Mr. 
Carroll asked, poking him playfully in the ribs. “He 
is n’t sick, is he? Turn around here, sir, and let me feel 
that little black nose of yours.” 

“His nose is cold — he’s all right,” Carter answered; 
“but it’s icy in the laundry, honestly it is.” 

“Oh, nonsense!” Mr. Carroll laughed at the idea. 
“This little heathen’s coat is thick, isn’t it, Dickums?” 

But in spite of Mr. Carroll’s scoffing, Mrs. Carroll 
placed a pillow under the kitchen table and Dixie 
promptly took possession of it. When Carter went in 
to “shake paws” with him, the boy shivered; after the 
range fire was out, even the kitchen was cold on such 
a windy night. 

“Sleep tight, old fellow and don’t let Jack Frost get 
you. Ugh! He will at this rate, I’m afraid. Wait a 
minute, Dix! I’ll fix you all right.” 

He hurried up to the attic and hunted about until 
he found the fur coat with which Mrs. Harper had 


CHRISTMAS 


303 


transformed the small dog into a lion for the '^S. I. G/s^' 
show. The big safety pins were still in it. He fastened 
it about Dixie^s body and the dog settled down looking 
cosy and contented. 

It must have been after two o ’clock when Mr. Carroll 
awoke with a start. He sat up in bed and listened, 
thinking that he might have been dreaming. No! there 
it came again, scratch, scratch, scratch! At first he 
was at a loss to understand it, but a low whine soon 
made the cause clear — it was Dixie scratching frantic- 
ally outside Carter’s door; but Carter was sleeping the 
sleep of the just, or of an active boy which is equally 
sound. 

‘'There! I told you so!” Mr. Carroll remarked aloud. 
“I knew that little scalawag would disturb us if he 
slept in the kitchen.” 

“Go see what he wants,” Mrs. Carroll urged. 
“There must be something the matter. Perhaps the 
little fellow is sick.” 

Mr. Carroll muttered something that sounded like 
“I’ll make him sick for waking me out of a sound sleep!” 
but he got up obediently and opened the door into the 
hall. 

“Here, you little nuisance!” he called crossly, as the 
cold air in the hall struck through his pajamas, making 
his teeth chatter. “What’s the matter with you?” 

Dixie jumped up on him, then ran towards the stairs 
and back again, whining and barking so frantically that 
at last Mr. Carroll followed him. He had no sooner 
reached the top of the stairs, than he felt an icy draft 


304 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


from below which sent him down two steps at a time. 
Hurriedly switching on the electric light he saw that 
both the glass doors and the storm doors leading from 
the dining-room to the piazza were wide open. A bulg- 
ing burlap sack lay on the floor near the buiffet. Mr. 
Carroll stared about the room in speechless amazement, 
then stooped and patted the little animal that was 
sniffing and nosing about near the bag, growling angrily 
as he did so. 

'^So that ’s what you were trying to tell me, old 
boy!'’ 

An examination of the contents of the bag showed 
that it was filled with silver, some of which he recog- 
nized instantly — the tea set from the buffet, and several 
small pieces from the silver drawer. He looked decidedly 
grave as he hauled out one thing after another, expe- 
cially when he came to a chamois-lined case containing 
the set of quaint old spoons that had belonged to Carter's 
great-great-grandmother in Virginia. They were family 
heirlooms that were almost priceless because they could 
never be replaced. 

^^Whew!" he whistled softly. ^^And it's all my fault, 
too! I forgot all about the silver. This is a close shave 
all right: you must have frightened him away just in 
time, old fellow. They can't get ahead of Dickums, can 
they?" 

While he was petting the dog Mrs. Carroll hurried 
downstairs holding something at arm's length. Her 
husband started when he saw what it was. 

Put that down, Eve," he commanded sharply. I 'm 


CHRISTMAS 


305 


not afraid of you, nor of the pistol, but I^m afraid of 
the combination/' 

^^Do^'t be worried," she answered easily. know 
how to shoot." 

“But there's no one to shoot, thanks to old Dickums, 
here. Just look! whoever it was almost got off with his 
booty." 

“But Dickey Bird couldn't scare anyone. He's too 
little." 

“Couldn't he? You forget this lion coat of his! 
He's a pretty sizable dog right this minute. I'd be 
afraid of him myself if I met him in the dark. The 
Carroll spoons had a narrow escape. We'll put them 
away after this." 

“I can't understand Minnie," Mrs. Carroll remarked 
severely. “She's never forgotten the silver before." 

“And she didn't this time, dear. Jim was waiting 
to take her to the church social, so I told her I'd carry 
up the silver." 

“And this is the way — " 

“I didn't do it! I'm sorry, but I completely forgot 
it. If it had n't been for old ‘sharp ears' here, it would 
have been a minus quantity in the morning. This 
isn't the first call the man made evidently. There's 
some of the Boyntons' things in the bag. We'll be as 
welcome as Santa Claus when we go on our silver dis- 
tributing round to-morrow. I hope all the articles 
belong on the block so that we can return them without 
trouble. Come on: I'm half frozen. Good-night, old 
boy. No more laundry for you!" 


306 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


^^He^ll be wanting to sleep upstairs next!^^ Mrs. | 
Carroll prophesied laughingly, as Dixie showed plainly I 
that he would go up with them then and there if they | 
insisted on it. I 

^‘He may when he^s earned it as he has this!^^ was the f 
laughing response. I 

When Carter returned the silverware the next mom- | 
ing he found that the boys had all gone to New York | 
to look at the Christmas displays. He wanted to go too, I 
but his mother refused. j 

‘‘We have nT the money to spare this year,^^ she ] 
explained gently. “Carfare and lunch count up so, and | 
besides we have nT any purchases to make. I 'm sorry | 
to disappoint you because we always enjoy our i 

day^s shopping, but this year it is simply out of the 
question.” 

“CanT we buy any presents at all for Christmas?” 
he asked incredulously. 

Mrs. Carroll shook her head. 

“Not many! Of course we ^11 remember Minnie, and 
one or two who would miss it most, but the new house 
wonT be ready to rent until spring, and your father 
canT get a cent from Mr. Walton. Even if he sued him 
he would probably lose: he has no proof. Anyway, it's 
too expensive to test it. Never mind the Christmas 
presents. Car! We can have the Christmas spirit — 
‘Peace on earth, good will towards men': that means 
more than presents after all. Try to help your 
father by being as cheerful as you can, won't 
you?” 


CHRISTMAS 


307 


^^Sure!'^ the boy replied, but even as he promised he 
felt that the Christmas spirit was well enough but that 
Christmas presents were even better. Boy-like it never 
occurred to him that he might have denied himself 
during the year and saved his own money for the pres- 
ents. ^^But if I had that old Walton, I'd — " 

“Gently, my son, gently! I want my boy — " 

She stopped suddenly at the sound of a loud whistle 
followed by a sharp ring at the door bell. Carter hur- 
ried out for the mail. 

“Hey, mother! Oh, mother!" he shouted excitedly an 
instant later. “It's for me!" 

When she reached the hall she found him with an 
unopened letter in his hand, intently studying the 
superscription. 

“It's from the paper. Here's their name on the 
outside. It must be about the story. Do you think 
mine has won a prize, or just that they are going to 
print it? " 

“I think you could answer all those questions your- 
self, if you'd open the letter," she answered, smiling at 
his earnestness. 

As he hurriedly slit the envelope with his knife and 
pulled out the letter a slip of thin paper fell out too, and 
circled slowly down until it hit Dixie Doodle on his 
upturned nose; but both Carter and his mother were 
too intent on the contents of the letter to notice what 
had happened. Carter read it aloud, even to the name 
of the paper, and its daily circulation, duly attested, 
printed in one comer of the sheet. 


308 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 




‘^Master Lindsay Carteret Carroll, 


‘^Staten Island. 


^^Dear Sir, — We take pleasure in sending you our cheque 
for twenty dollars, the second prize in our Great Prize Story 
Contest. Your clever little story * Outside the Hook ^ will be 
printed in the Story Page of our paper, on the Saturday before 
Christmas. There was a regular outbreak of ^Outside the ! 
Hook^ stories in your neighborhood: it must have been very ^ 
catching! They were all so different, however, that we feel sure 
the coincidence was purely accidental. Our judges unanimously 
decided that yours and one by Master Sidney Armstrong were 
the best of them all. They think it must be a true story; is 
it? We congratulate you. There were hundreds of stories i 
sent in, so success means something to be proud of. i 

^^Respectfully yours, | 

‘‘The Prize Story Editor.^^ \ 


Carter read the letter over a second time as though \ 
fascinated by it, and strange to say the fact that his j 
story was to be printed made a deeper impression upon | 
him, just at first, than the winning of the prize. j 

^We take pleasure in sending you our cheque,’ '' j 
he read again. ^‘But they haven’t sent it! Do you 
suppose it’s been lost or stolen?” he asked anxiously. 

Before his mother could answer a slight rustling at- 
tracted his attention. Dixie was pawing at the bit of 
paper daintily, its crispness making it move about in ! 
a way which delighted him. 

“Here it is!” he exclaimed in relieved tones. 

^ Pay to Lindsay Carteret Carroll — Twenty Dollars.’ 
Whew!” 

He dashed to the telephone and gave his aunt’s 
number. 


CHRISTMAS 


309 


''Hello, Aunt Allie!^' he began when his aunt herself 
answered the call. "My nice fat idea must have been 
dressed up all right because I Ve won one of the prizes! 
. . . Yes ^m: the second — twenty! Isn^t that great? 
. . . I don^t know about that: one swallow doesn^t 
make a summer, so I ^m afraid one story won^t make an 
author, either! What shall I get you for Christmas? . . . 
All right. Good-bye ! 

He was laughing heartily as he hung up the receiver. 

"She says that if I won't give Dixie Doodle to her, 
I must get her a dog of some kind. Come on! if we 
rush we can catch the ten-thirty ferry. I '11 invite you 
to lunch, Mrs. Carroll, but not at the Waldorf or Sherry's, 
please!" 

"All right," his mother responded, as pleased as he 
over his success. "Make out your list before we start: 
it will save time in town." 

Carter was already half way upstairs, but checked 
himself abruptly, and stood gazing at his prize with 
thoughtful earnestness. 

"I — I guess we won't go in after all," he decided. 
"You won't mind, will you?" 

"But why?" Mrs. Carroll demanded, surprised at 
his sudden change. 

"I think I '11 give the cheque to father," he said 
quietly. 

Mrs. Carroll patted his hand as it lay on the banister. 

"I'm glad you are trying to help him, because he 
never forgets his boy; but really. Car, this is n't neces- 
sary. We may not have money for the 'flesh pots' but 


310 THE CAPTAIN OP THE I. 


we ’re not at starvation point yet awhile. These months 
are hard for us simply because the payment for those 
two big contracts has b^en delayed, and Mr. Walton’s 
money was to have carried us through this time. Father 
says business will be better after New Year. We ’ll have 
our day in town by all means, and buy your presents. 

I ’m delighted that you have this money. You may get 
something extra nice for your father if you wish. He ’ll 
appreciate it all the more because you have earned the 
money. But I don’t know about Aunt Allie’s dog, 
though!” 

^^We ’ll find one all right!” Carter answered as, with 
a relieved sigh, he raced upstairs to dress. * 

They spent a busy day, and Carter himself chose the 
restaurant and ordered the luncheon — chicken pie, 
hot chocolate, ice-cream and cake. Mrs. Carroll said ; 
it made her feel as though she had lost her boy, but she ' 
enjoyed both lunch and shopping as much as he did. , 

They found what Aunt Allie wanted after prolonged 
search. It was a tiny dog sitting erect in the sauciest ^ 
manner — in reality a cushion for collar and lace pins. ! 
Carter was delighted with it: for once he had succeeded 
in being the joker instead of the joked! 

He chose an embroidered linen cover for his mother’s 
tea table. He had heard her say that she wanted one. 
She was at the handkerchief counter when he picked it 
out. For his father he bought a pocket edition of Kip- 
ling’s works, an author of whom Mr. Carroll was very 
fond; and for Minnie he decided upon collar pins and a 
box of letter paper, and for Dixie a new collar. He also 


CHRISTMAS 


311 


arranged to have three small purses made from his share 
of the skin of the rattler that he and Sid had killed at 
the lakes. One was to be given to each of the and 

the third was for Mrs. Harper who, though still abroad, 
was not forgotten by the ‘^S. I. G.’s.” The last letter 
from her had brought a most encouraging report. The 
“bone doctor’^ as the boys persisted in calling the great 
osteopath, had located the cause of her trouble, and 
was treating the hip which she had injured several years 
before in a fall from her horse. Already she was walking 
about unaided by crutches or help of any kind, and the 
great physician promised a slow but sure cure. The 
purse would not reach her in time for Christmas, but 
would answer for a New Yearns gift. 

The day before Christmas Carter dashed into the 
library unexpectedly, and to his consternation, found 
his mother sobbing heart-brokenly. She was usually 
so bright and cheerful that he could not find words 
to fit such a disheartening situation, so he smoothed 
her hair in awkward, boyish sympathy. 

“It — it doesn^t seem like Christmas this year,^^ she 
said, trying hard to control herself. “And to think that 
I am to blame for losing that note! How much trouble 
it has caused!^' 

“But grandfather and Aunt Alice have plenty of 
money,’’ he urged. “Why don’t father get some from 
them?” 

“Because he prefers to be independent, and so do I!” 
she explained proudly. “Your father isn’t the kind of 
man to rely on others if he can do a thing himself. 


312 THE CAPTAIN OF THE L 


That ’s why every one respects him so highly. Poor 
man! I ^m afraid he won^t find much cheer in this 
Christmas, but he '11 enjoy his boy^s gift, though,^’ she 
added quickly, once more her brave, cheerful self. When 
are you going to tell him about the prize, dear? Is Sid 
keeping his a secret, too?^' 

‘^Yes. He got the third prize, fifteen dollars. Queer 
they should take both stories, wasn^t it? But they 
said they were different. I ^11 tell father about it after 
breakfast to-morrow. I ^m going to dress Dixie up, 
too. Do you think a yellow bow would show up well 
on his new collar? Yellow goes with brown, does n't 
it? Anyway, it will come next to his white shirt-front." 

‘‘White shirt-front!" his mother exclaimed in well 
simulated surprise. “I don't see any white shirt-front! 
I see a very dirty little dog with a dingy gray patch 
under his neck." 

“Oh pshaw! you know what I mean!" Carter ex- 
claimed impatiently. “I 've been so busy I forgot to 
bathe him." 

“Yes, you have been busy — playing!" his mother 
replied with mild sarcasm. “For a baseball team I 
must say the ‘S. I. G.'s' find plenty to do." 

“Of course we do! We called ourselves a baseball 
nine just to do up the ‘Stars,' and we did. Don't you 
believe in the club?" he inquired, genuine anxiety in 
his tones. 

“Indeed I do!" she assured him emphatically. “It 
has helped you boys more than you realize, and I hope 
you will keep it up. I 'm only sorry that I could 


CHRISTMAS 


313 


not give you a different kind of a party to-morrow 
night/^ 

Don’t worry about that! The boys would rather 
have games and fun, and a jolly little spread like 
we ’re going to have, than a stiff old dress-up and dance 
affair, honestly they would, mother! But tell me about 
the bow for Dixie’s collar. I found a red one and a yellow 
one in that box of yours. Which will look best? I ’ll 
clean him first,” he added hurriedly, as his mother 
started to speak. ^^Come on, old boy, and get your 
bath,” he said teasingly. ‘‘BATH! did you hear, Dix? 
B-a-t-h!” 

Dixie heard. He knew the word well and oh! how 
he hated it! His dread of the water extended even to 
warm water in the bath tub. At the first mention of 
“bath” he had put his tail between his legs and slunk 
under the couch. When Carter reached for him he made 
a dash, squeezed through the partly opened door, and 
flew up the steps. Carter chasing after him as fast as 
he could run. 

“You old rascal!” he exclaimed. “You might as 
well take it easy. Mr. Smarty ! you ’re in for a scrubbing 
as sure as to-morrow ’s Christmas!” 

Dixie paused an instant in the second story hall, 
then flew on like a little brown streak up to the attic, 
to his own special retreat. This was a narrow space 
beneath some shelves near the chimney. A curtain 
draped the front of the shelves so that entrance was 
easy at all times. More than once had the small dog, 
crouching far back in the darkness eluded the boys’ 


314 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


search, but to-day he had very little the start of his 
pursuer. Still all would have been well had he not 
stumbled over a box that had been pushed beneath the 
curtain. Something fell with a bang, and the frightened 
little animal cowered down in the farthest corner, lick- 
ing the paw he had hit sharply against the obstacle as 
he scrambled in. 

Carter had only reached the head of the stairs, but, 
guided by the racket, he got down on his knees and 
tried to peer beneath the curtain. He could see nothing 
in the darkness, so he reached in after his prey. 

‘‘Can’t fool me, Mr. Dix! I Ve caught you this time! 
So this is where you Ve been hiding, is it? You ’re a 
great one ! Ouch I ” 

He, too, had struck a sharp corner of the box, and he 
followed Dixie’s example by sucking the knuckle ener- 
getically to lessen the pain. Then he reached in more 
carefully and removed the obstacle. It proved to be a 
good sized tin box, the cover of which had been knocked 
off as Dixie entered. He was about to push it aside and 
reach in again after the dog when a paper lying on the 
very top of the pile caught his eye. One corner had 
been gnawed by mice, but a few words scrawled across 
the top in his father’s handwriting attracted his atten- 
tion. 

Promissory no — 

Isaac P. Wa — ” 

The rest was gone, but he had read enough. He 
opened the paper with such eager haste that he tore it 
in two. 


CHRISTMAS 


315 


can^t be! It can’t be!” he muttered joyfully, 
knowing all the time that it was. ^‘Five Thousand 
Dollars,” he read. Whew! won’t this settle him though, 
the old cheat!” 

In his wild excitement he forgot all about Dixie of 
the dingy shirt-front, and sped down the stairs three 
i steps at a time, shouting at the top of his voice. Mrs. 

! Carroll heard him and rushed into the hall just as he 

, reached the lower landing. Her face was pale with 

fright as he sprang towards her, waving the pieces of 
paper frantically before her eyes. 

^^Here it is! Here it is! Doodles found it up in the 
attic! Won’t it be a dandy present for father, though! 
Dixie found it, honestly he did!” 

Mrs. Carroll seized the papers, gave one glance, then 
sank down on the lowest step sobbing unrestrainedly 
for the second time that day. Carter was dumfounded, 
it was so unlike his sunny-tempered, self-controlled 
mother. He touched her hair gently, murmuring: 

Please don’t, mother! Please don’t! I’m sorry!” 
but what he was sorry for he had not the faintest idea. 
Suddenly her tears changed to smiles and she fairly 
beamed upon him. Dixie had crept downstairs to see 
what the commotion was about, and she gathered him 
up in her arms and hugged him tight while Carter ex- 
plained where and how the note had been discovered. 

“And I thought I had searched every nook and cor- 
ner in the whole house,” she said at last. 

“But you’d hardly notice this place, mother. It’s 
only a few inches space beneath the lowest shelf and 


316 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


the curtain covers it. Even Dixie can’t hide in it much 
longer if he gets any fatter than he is.” 

remember now,” his mother said thoughtfully. 'T 
told Minnie to put that box away, the day I cleaned 
the small desk. I never stopped to examine the papers 
in it, because I thought they were just old cheques. 
It’s queer that it should have escaped my mind so 
completely. And to think that Dickey Bird will have 
the best present of all for master,” she ended, patting 
the smooth, brown head lovingly while the dog placed 
his front paws on her shoulders and tried to kiss her 
face. 

They decided to say nothing of the recovery of the 
note that night, but to surprise Mr. Carroll the next 
day. Fortimately they would not have to keep the 
secret long. 

On Christmas morning Carter tried to slip downstairs 
early but his father heard him. 

^^Not so fast, my boy. It’s not five o’clock yet. 
Go back until Minnie comes down and opens up the 
furnace.” 

'‘But I won’t stay down,” Carter began to expostu- 
late. "I’ll open the furnace. I just want to see my 
presents, then I’ll — ” 

"You’ll wait, as I said,” his father replied firmly, 
and Carter, not daring to disobey, went back into his 
room. He regretted that he had not slipped upstairs 
to wake Minnie before his father overheard him. Two 
hours seemed an age when he did not know what treas- 
ures were awaiting him downstairs in the library. It 


CHRISTMAS 


317 


was a holiday, so Minnie would be even later than seven, 
probably. He stood it as long as he could, then he 
climbed up on the headboard of his bed and began a 
cautious tap-tap-tapping on his ceiling. It was some 
time before his manoeuvre produced any result, and he 
was afraid to pound harder for fear of disturbing his 
father and mother, but he kept it up until he heard 
Minnie walking about above him. Then he scrambled 
into his clothes and without waiting for finishing touches 
in the way of collar, tie, and coat, he threw his bath 
robe about him. A few minutes later he heard Minnie 
go down, and the instant the click of turning dampers 
reached him he flew downstairs. The furnace had been 
turned on: he was obeying the letter of his father’s 
injunction, if not the spirit. Anyway, Christmas only 
came once a year. 

As he gazed at the array in the library he realized 
that his father might be poor but Santa Claus was 
evidently in good circumstances. There was a set of 
books he had longed for, a passe-partouting outfit, a 
new camera, and a splendid miniature bowling board, 
almost ten feet long, to be played with small pins and 
balls, and a billiard cue. This and the work bench 
equipped with a complete set of tools, absorbed his 
whole attention for a time. His grandfather had sent 
the bowling table, and his father. and mother had had 
the work bench made for him. Even in the excitement 
of the day he appreciated the loving denial that had 
gone into it. Mrs. Harper had sent him an imposing 
looking bill purse with a crisp dollar bill in it. She 


318 THE CAPTAIN OF THE 1. G.’S’’ 


called it a ''nest-egg^' for his new yearns savings. The 
Armstrongs had brought home a fine pair of field glasses 
for his gift. In the note from Sid he called them ^^Camp 
Protectors!’’ The ^^S. I. G.’s” had all sent remem- 
brances, simple little things, but each one representing 
a boy’s devotion to his club leader. 

It was some time before he discovered Aunt Allie’s 
gift, not because it was small, but because it was in the 
corner of the library farthest from the rest of the presents. 

It was a phonograph with a case filled with records. ^ 
He read the titles over gloatingly, his fingers fairly j 
itching to try the instrument. Only the fact that it | 
was not yet six o’clock prevented him from starting the \ 

music then and there. i 

! 

A letter addressed to him in his aunt’s writing, hung 
from the huge horn by a holly-flowered ribbon. He 
laughed as he read it. 

'‘Dear Honey-Boy, — Promise not to let the cats sing when 
I come over, won^t you? I don’t mind Caruso very much, or 
even the whistling records, or those farm-yard cantatas you 
spoke of, but I ’ll dispense with the feline chorus. Wishing the j 
successful author a very Merry Christmas. j 

“With love, j 

"Aunt Alice. 

"P. S. Go gently with the records. Car; say one a day with 
a handkerchief stuffed in the horn. I am anxious to spare 
your family as much as possible. I’ll be over at three to take 
you and Sid out for a spin on the boulevard. Tell mother I ’m 
bringing the candies and some surprise packages for your 
club party. They will do for favors at the table. I have some 
trophies for the bowling contest, too — some things I bought 
in Paris. Merry Christmas to all!” 


CHRISTMAS 


319 


After breakfast Mr. and Mrs. Carroll were sitting in the 
dining-room talking in low tones, while Carter was busy in 
the pantry between the dining-room and the kitchen, fix- 
ing the surprise for his father. Minnie was singing away 
at the top of her voice as she worked about the kitchen. 

**Noah built himself an ark, 

One more river to cross. 

He pitched it within and without with bark, 

One more river to cross.” 

'^Hey, Min, what river is it?’’ Carter called out. 

“Sure, it’s the Ohio River,” Minnie answered with a 
laugh. '^I’m from Ohio where the Presidents grow!” 
This was a standing joke of Minnie’s. 

'^Go on, Min, and sing some more verses,” he urged, 
and Minnie started in with a will. 

^^The animals went in one by one. 

One more river to cross. 

Noah led with a big bass-drum. 

One more river to cross. 

‘‘The animals went in two by two. 

One more river to cross. 

The elephant and the kangaroo. 

One more river to cross. 

**The animals went in three by three. 

One more river to cross. 

The rhinoceros and the bumble-bee. 

One more river to cross. 

'*The animals went in four by four, 

One more river to cross. 

The hippo-po-TA-mus stuck in the door, 

One more river to cross, e* 


320 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


Mr. Carroll winked at his wife and whispered mis- 
chievously: not surprised that the hippo-po-TA- 

mus stuck in the door, are you? Minnie ^s been piling 
those animals into that ark ever since she got up.^’ 

“That’s great, Min!” Carter called out admiringly. 
He was tying an official envelope on Dixie’s back, with 
bright colored Christmas ribbons as he spoke, but boy- 
like, he could attend to several things at once, when he 
cared about them. “Give us the rest of the verses, 
do!” he urged. 

“I can’t. Carter,” Minnie’s tone was plainly regret- 
ful: she loved to sing. “There’s a lot more of ’em, but 
I must get my turkey ready an’ make the puddin’ 
sauce, unless you want to beat it up for me.” 

Carter preserved a discreet silence that was non- 
committal. He did n’t object to beating up hard sauce 
occasionally, but this was Christmas day. Minnie did 
not urge him. She was in a gay humor. Mr. Carroll 
had given her a five-dollar gold piece and Mrs. Carroll 
a pretty red silk waist. Jim, the grocery man, liked 
red. She also had Carter’s collar pins and the box of 
letter paper, and a bottle of cologne from Dixie, while 
the Armstrongs had sent her a whole box of kid gloves, 
and Jim’s present was still to come. No wonder she 
felt musical! 

Carter whistled softly when the surprise was arranged 
to his satisfaction, and Mrs. Carroll promptly answered 
the signal. 

“What’s that for?” Mr. Carroll asked curiously. 

“I thought men never displayed curiosity,” she 


CHRISTMAS 


321 


answered teasingly; '^but you give a pretty fair imita- 
tion of it at times, I must say! Call Dixie!'' 

^^Why?" 

“ Curiosity again ! " 

Mr. Carroll laughed and promptly whistled for the 
dog. Dixie as promptly appeared, prancing in with a 
comical wriggling of his little brown body. He objected 
to having things tied upon him, whether harness or 
surprises, and he was doing his best to rid himself of the 
burden. But Mr. Carroll called him and he sprang 
upon his lap. 

^‘What's this?" he asked, touching the small dog's 
decoration. 

‘^Your present from Dixie," Mrs. Carroll answered. 
‘‘Open it, dear." 

Mr. Carroll complied expecting to find a Christmas 
card. When he saw what it was, he held the pieces of 
the note, one in each hand, and looked from one to the 
other for an instant in speechless surprise. His voice 
was scarcely under control when he finally asked: 

“Where did you find it?" 

Mrs. Carroll, who was perched upon one arm of his 
chair, gave him a full accoimt of the affair, helped at 
intervals by Carter, who was perched on the other arm, 
while Dixie Doodle settled down comfortably on his lap. 
He listened with intense interest, then put his arms 
around all three of them as he tried to express his 
pleasure. 

“Business conditions are improving every day," he 
explained to them. “With this," pointing to the note. 


322 THE CAPTAIN OF THE I. 


tide me over, we ^11 start in the coming year in good 
shape. The new house will be ready by the first of 
May, the architect tells me. IVe already rented it.^' 

‘^That’s good!” Mrs. Carroll tried to speak heartily 
but did not succeed. The new house was even more 
satisfactory than the other had been. She had watched 
it grow into a thing of beauty and comfort with genuine 
delight. “Who is to live in it?” 

“You are!” he answered promptly, well aware of her 
longing. 

She simply stared for an instant, then she hid her • 
head on his shoulder and shed a few tears, but they were 
tears of happiness. 

“Hurrah!” Carter shouted, as soon as he realized 
what his father’s words meant to them all. “The 
‘S. I. G.’s’ can have the garage, can’t we, father? It 
will make a dandy club house.” 

His father nodded. 

“And think of the tower room with all those windows. 
Car!” his mother burst forth excitedly. “That’s to be 
yours.” 

Just then Minnie began to beat the sauce for the 
pudding, at the same time starting in with tuneful 
vigor on a new song, the animals having been left to 
much needed rest. 

“Oh! I am so happy! so happy! so happy! 

Oh! I am so happy! so happy all day long! ” 

“And so are we,” Mr. Carroll said fervently. 

“Indeed we are,” Mrs. Carroll agreed. 


CHRISTMAS 


323 


Dixie happy too/’ Carter declared. '^He’s gradu- 
ated from the kitchen, haven’t you, old boy? After 
this you’ll sleep upstairs with the rest of the family. 
I’m going to tell the fellows about the garage. We’re 
areal club with a real club house now. We’ll make 
things hum next year all right! Won’t it be slick, 
though!” 

^^Good luck to the ^S. I. G.’s’ new club house!” Mr. 
Carroll exclaimed as Carter dashed out full of his good 
news. 

‘‘And to the ‘S. I. G.’s’ captain, too!” Mrs. Carroll 
added. Then they looked at each other and smiled: at 
last things were going well with them. 


» * 







I 



,0^ <- '0. K* A , %, "i ..A 

^ ^ -P ;. ^ ’ ® « ’< 5 ^ A' C 4 * o^ . 0 ^ 

^ O. V -f .A*- -'“ /r ^ 0 

^ ^ ■'■ ^/t/^ f •>'. A •. 



* '^, A' 


•-0 0 ^ : 

X® ° " 

. A ^ JX « c5> O.M o ■ ^tflA V ^ 




K' yp 

^ ^r. \V 

c ^^^ O 


B . <0 c ^ r' 

-1 ^ <A c-SS>Cv ^ ^ L> ^ 

^ A «. .. .'. ^ 

« 


< 0 c> ^ ^ 


o 0 


. o Cp o 

^ ,v ^ 

\ - * 

..s' AW > ' » Aa '°'”‘ \\' 

O' <.»'..„% <?f. , A 

* ■^, v-V 



o 5 '^c^ 



C^ ^ 0 . V ^ ^ ^ A -^ ^ 


A . 






s^ 4 G' <!* '^Oo.v.'^ \^ VI /^. * <i 

N C „ A_ ^ « • ' 0^5' ^ . '^« ^ A ,A A A V ®o 

0 . ^ 

o >,0 * 

o'* A 0 _ 

w .V 




''■Ai:i'>>*’‘’>°'-- 



' A'’ s 








^ ^ " j -» A '^3 .o < 

" " " aN 0 n c . . ' ' » « 

■"o 0^ ■>' ^ 

-: ^ "V 

s'" 0^ 



uf 

s'^^■ "^sT. ■'■ 


■% 


" ^n- ^ ''[ 

^ ca cj” -A ^ 

\ 'O ■ V ', s ’ ,0' -C 'OSS'* 0 M c „ ' ‘ <■ 

, 0 -- c -r>^ ' » • ' o’^ ^ s ^ ^ - 



' s# 

, \ s ^ ^ r '> 

. V ^ 

'f* 

•<<■ .\. ‘=^ -r^mcT^. « 

(1^ O 

‘ « '^<0 ^ 0 ^ ' 
‘ . <» ^ c ^ 

'f' ^ 



o'*' '>-y,>/^:^ V 

° '^<f> \'^ - 

O ^ o 

t> ■«^’ o 

~ D- 


co^-^r 

^ 'TV ^ 

< ' “ ' v< ' " ;^>> * ^ ^ “ V'. ’ “ » >c. ^ - 

^ ^ ^ At a 

‘o ^ 



, V 

O V - O --4 ^ .f 

^0^ < ^ 0 ^ <1, 

^ ^ .." !4! ^ ^ cP%" : 

^ s ■’oo' 

oP ^ ^' 

-/> ^ 8 I A \V s 



\A , "'..s' , 

“ " = « .-O' ..<■ 




^ 0 ^ 


S ( 



